Electricity was restored a short time ago to thousands of households and businesses in southwest Berlin after a five-day outage. The widespread blackout, caused by sabotage attributed to the far-left group Vulkan, has triggered a public debate about the protection of critical infrastructure.

At 11:30 a.m. local time, residents of southwest Berlin received an emergency alert via the civil protection app, advising them to switch off private generators and unplug electrical appliances ahead of the restoration of the power supply in order to prevent damage. Consumers were also urged to avoid using high-voltage appliances during the first few hours. Shortly after noon, electricity began to return gradually, and authorities estimate that power will be fully restored across the area within the next few hours. A temporary cable connection was restored overnight and successfully tested, according to a spokesperson for the state-owned utility Stromnetz Berlin.

Authorities had initially announced that power would be restored by Thursday afternoon, but repair work progressed much faster than expected, with crews working around the clock after the local government declared a state of emergency. In the near term, electricity will be supplied through a temporary system, and it remains unclear when the original grid configuration will be fully restored.

The Federal Public Prosecutor’s Office is leading the investigation into the largest power outage in Berlin since the end of World War II. Following an arson attack on a cable bridge, approximately 45,000 households and 2,200 businesses have been without electricity since Saturday. Berlin’s mayor, Kai Wegner, estimated that around 100,000 people were affected. Even the temporary restoration proved particularly challenging due to adverse weather conditions, including snowfall and temperatures as low as minus 7 degrees Celsius.

Responsibility for the arson was claimed in a letter sent to police by the far-left group Vulkan, which has previously carried out arson attacks on public infrastructure. The group has primarily targeted affluent districts, which it argues should be expropriated. The Attorney General’s Office is investigating the case on suspicion of unconstitutional sabotage, membership in a terrorist organization, arson, and disruption of public services, but no arrests have been made so far.

The Federal Interior Ministry described the attack as “left-wing terrorism,” while a spokesperson denied online reports claiming that Vulkan’s letter was written in Russian. Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt announced that the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution would be granted expanded powers, particularly to monitor digital spaces. However, Clara Bünger, the Left Party’s spokesperson for domestic policy, criticized the proposal, warning that “violations of fundamental rights and freedoms under the pretext of combating terrorism” would themselves constitute an infringement of civil liberties.

The attack on the power grid highlights the importance of well-equipped emergency assistance during crises, said Hermann Gröhe, president of the German Red Cross, pointing to funding shortfalls at the federal level. “The blackout demonstrates how vulnerable critical infrastructure is and how essential it is to protect the population. Focusing solely on military aspects is too narrow. Disaster relief is central to social resilience and a core responsibility of the state in providing basic services,” he told German Radio. He called for the creation of at least ten mobile support units capable of rapidly deploying up to 5,000 personnel nationwide in the event of a crisis.