A left-wing German group that claimed responsibility for an attack on the Berlin power grid has denied allegations that they were cooperating with Russia.
The January 2 attack left 45,000 household without electricity for days in freezing temperatures.
“Regarding the circulating allegations of an alleged ‘false flag operation’ by a foreign state, we say clearly: These speculations are nothing more than an attempt to conceal one’s own powerlessness,” the so-called Vulkangruppe (Volcano Group) wrote in a statement published on hard-left forum Knack News.
“The fact that people here on the ground are capable of attacking infrastructure does not fit into the security narrative of politicians and authorities. So an external enemy is constructed. This is convenient, relieves pressure, and shifts the debate,” said the group.
The statement – whose veracity cannot be ascertained – was apparently written in response to increased speculation in German media that Russia organised the attack as part of its hybrid warfare aimed at destabilising Germany.
The speculation gained traction after Conservative MP Roderich Kiesewetter shared on X an analysis of the group’s original confession letter which concluded the document had likely been written in Russian and then machine-translated to German.
The left-wing group denied the allegations, adding: “Our motives are neither secret nor new. They are based on years of experience with empty climate discourse, symbolic politics, and an energy supply based on destruction. Anyone who claims that every form of sabotage must necessarily be the work of a foreign intelligence service is denying the reality of internal social conflicts.”
In the January 2 attack, unknown perpetrators set fire to a cable bridge across the Teltow canal in Berlin’s southwest and then short-circuited the burnt cables using metal rods.
Afterwards, 45,000 households and 2,200 businesses were left without electricity for days in freezing temperatures. Schools and public institutions in affected areas have remained closed. The mobile phone network and street lighting were also out of order following the attack.
So far, at least two people are reported to have died as a consequence of the outage.
On January 7, Berlin’s electricity grid operator announced power should return for all affected customers by the end of the day following emergency repairs.
The German Federal Prosecutor’s Office said on January 6 it would lead the investigations against the assailants for sabotage and membership in a terrorist organisation.
The hard-left Vulkangruppe has reportedly been committing attacks on infrastructure in and around Berlin for 15 years.
In 2023, police managed to arrest two known extremists who were reportedly in the process of setting fire to a railway line.
However, in 2024 a Berlin court set them free, citing “lack of concrete evidence”.
