Parts of Berlin still without power after sabotage—Ukrainians organize one of the warming shelters

(function(w,q){w[q]=w[q]||[];w[q].push([“_mgc.load”])})(window,”_mgq”);

A Berlin district remains several days without electricity after a deliberate fire at a power station knocked out supply for tens of thousands, according to RFE/RL. As repairs now stretched into a fifth day, locals described fear, confusion, and reliance on emergency shelters. Ukrainian refugees were among those who stepped in to organize a warming center—modeled on Ukraine’s “points of resilience”—to help locals weather the crisis.

The local power company says repair work is expected to continue until 8 January. A far-left group admitted to the sabotage, justifying it with fringe political arguments.

Many far-left, far-right, and nationalist movements in Europe have been directly or indirectly influenced by Russia and often act as instruments to advance Kremlin objectives—spreading Russian propaganda and engaging in espionage and sabotage. When such parties gain political ground, they frequently change state policies to be pro-Russian, oppose aid to Ukraine, and push for deeper ties with Moscow as Russia continues its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. So far, Russia’s role in the attack has been unconfirmed.

Cable fire sparks widespread outage

On 3 January, a fire damaged power lines at a substation in Steglitz-Zehlendorf in southwestern Berlin, cutting electricity and heating for some 45,000 households and 2,200 businesses, RFE/RL reported. The following day, the Germany-based left-wing extremist group Vulkangruppe claimed responsibility, saying the act was a protest against “greed for energy” and tech company influence. The outlet Tagesspiegel said investigators believe the group’s letter is genuine.

Deutsche Welle cited Berlin’s Senator for Economic Affairs Franziska Giffey, who said the electric cables had been “blown up using incendiary devices.” Berlin Mayor Kai Wegner called the attack on the energy system “terrorism,” while several German politicians called for federal involvement in the investigation and improved crisis preparedness.

Police and emergency workers at the site of the suspected sabotage attack on a Berlin power facility. Photo: AFP

Some residents stayed home, lighting rooms with candles and sleeping under several blankets. Others moved in with friends or went to emergency shelters. Many experienced problems with mobile communication.

DW reported on 6 January that German federal prosecutors had launched a terrorism investigation into the arson attack on high-voltage cables that triggered a power blackout in Berlin. Prosecutors said they were investigating the case on suspicion of “membership in a terrorist organization, sabotage, arson, and disruption of public services.”

Ukrainian refugees step up to help locals

Amid the blackout, the authorities set up the emergency shelters, including one in a church and another in a gym. Ukrainian refugees opened their “point of resilience”—a warming hub where people could charge devices, warm up, and get hot drinks.

Explore further

Russia is targeting Germany already — and Berlin believes worse is coming

Ukrainian Oksana Orel, who moved to Berlin from Odesa, helped organize the shelter through AdlerA, a Ukrainian-German center she co-founded in Steglitz-Zehlendorf. The building remained powered because it was connected to a different electrical line than the rest of the blackout-hit district, making it a safe haven.

According to Orel, both German and Ukrainian families began arriving immediately, some bringing thermoses to fill with boiling water since they couldn’t heat anything at home. A German partner group provided access to a large kitchen.

Oksana Orel said the warming center was opened not only as a sign of gratitude for support given to Ukrainian refugees and Ukraine but also to share lived experience from power outages. She said Ukrainians told locals,

“It’s not a big deal if there’s no electricity for a few days,” adding that “everything will get fixed.”

Orel recalled telling a German neighbor about the center, after which the woman said she had bought three candles, a flashlight, and batteries. The neighbor also remembered Orel’s earlier remark that Ukrainian women are “always stocked up,” with basic food and essentials kept at home.

Street lights out in Steglitz-Zehlendorf district of Berlin after a sabotage attack on a power station. Photo: Michael Ukas/dpa/picture alliance

Some locals thought Russia attacked Berlin

Hospitals were reconnected first. Local authorities advised residents to temporarily move in with friends and set up emergency shelters. A central shelter opened in a district concert hall. Orel said folding beds were installed and elderly people living alone were among the first to arrive.

Oksana said many locals were unnerved not just by the blackout itself but by the fact that it came unexpectedly. In Ukraine, she explained, people are used to alerts:

“[In Ukraine], a siren goes off and we know it’s an air-raid alert.”

But in Berlin, the outage arrived abruptly, and the networks were down.

“Here, there’s no need to hide, nowhere to run — but people are scared,” Oksana said. “I heard Germans say: ‘We thought Russians had attacked us. We thought Russia was already advancing on us’.”

Explore further

Der Spiegel: Germany’s AfD lawmakers suspected of feeding sensitive Bundeswehr data to Russian intelligence

The grid operator Stromnetz Berlin said the incident resembles a politically motivated attack like the one on 9 September 2025. Back then, power returned after two days.

This time, repairs would last until 8 January. But Orel said Germans acknowledged it would typically take four to five weeks. She said Ukrainians online joked that Ukrainian energy workers, who repair systems under shelling, should be brought to Berlin to teach locals.

Blackout exposes contrasting expectations between locals and refugees

Ukrainian Olha Danik, who has lived in Berlin for 13 years, said she and her German husband were stunned by the outage.

“We woke up, wanted to make coffee, tea — there was no power,” she said.

Even mobile networks were initially down. They had no heating, only candles, and ended up sleeping under two blankets.

“Maybe some people are upset, but my [German] neighbors are calm. They have so much confidence in their country that whatever happens, the state will help them. If they’re told to wait five days, they will wait,” she said, also noting that “In 13 years, nothing like this has ever happened—all Germans are shocked.”

People walk through a darkened residential area in southwest Berlin during a major power outage on 4 January 2026. Photo: dpa via DW

Another Olha, who arrived in Berlin from Kharkiv in March 2022, said she woke up to find that nothing was working. She said many neighbors had no mobile connection at all. Using mobile internet from her Ukrainian provider, she found out about the fire that caused the outage.

Eventually, she and her family moved to stay with friends in central Berlin. But she said it was frightening to realize that Germany doesn’t respond to outages as quickly as Ukraine.