Berlin’s southwestern neighborhoods plunged into darkness for a fourth straight day as a brazen attack on the city’s power grid left thousands without electricity. The sabotage, claimed by a group calling itself Vulkan Group, targeted infrastructure linked to a gas power station in Lichterfelde, sparking a fire that initially knocked out power to 45,000 homes and over 2,200 businesses.
By midday Saturday, around 24,700 households and 1,120 commercial sites in districts like Nikolassee, Zehlendorf, Wannsee, and Lichterfelde remained in the black. Stromnetz Berlin, the local grid operator, reported ongoing technical hurdles delaying full restoration, despite initial hopes of completing repairs by Thursday afternoon.
The assault unfolded early Saturday when flames erupted in a cable leading to a power station. Hospitals in the affected areas saw services resume by Sunday morning, a small relief amid biting cold and snowfall gripping the capital. Residents like Christiane from Nikolassee shivered in apartments where temperatures dipped to 11.5°C. ‘Everyone knows you should sleep in a cool room, but this is ridiculous,’ she told reporters.
Berlin Mayor Kai Wegner labeled it a ‘left-wing terrorist attack’ during a Tuesday press conference, rejecting notions of mere vandalism. ‘This was no simple arson or sabotage—it was terrorism,’ he stressed. Federal prosecutors are investigating potential charges including membership in a terrorist organization, sabotage, arson, and disrupting public services.
Interior Senator Iris Spranger echoed the sentiment, describing the strike as ‘a meticulously planned left-wing terrorist attack on our power grid, carried out with clear criminal intent.’ As probe deepens, the incident underscores vulnerabilities in critical infrastructure amid rising extremist threats in Europe, leaving Berlinites to endure prolonged blackouts in freezing conditions.