How is it possible?': Berliners demand answers after sabotage causes blackout

"When Silke Peters bought a crank radio and a camping stove just after the start of Russia's full invasion of Ukraine, her husband thought she was a little crazy. He put me down, only half-jokingly, as a prepper, she says, referring to the kind of person who stockpiles in case of catastrophe. For almost four years, the items gathered dust in the cellar of the Peters' two-room flat in Zehlendorf, a well-to-do district of Berlin."

"But in recent days the wind-up radio with its inbuilt torch and charge point has come into its own during Germany's longest power cut since the second world war. Leftwing anarchist militants have claimed responsibility for an arson attack on Saturday which cut the electricity to about 45,000 households, almost 2,000 businesses, four hospitals, 74 care homes, 20 schools and a considerable chunk of the public transport network in south-western Berlin."

"Federal state prosecutors have taken over the criminal investigation into the saboteurs, Vulkangruppe (Volcano Group), who said their aim was to turn off the juice of those in power and to highlight Germany's overdependence on fossil fuels. Aside from some footprints left in the snow, investigators admit they have little to go on so far. Across Berlin there has been an outpouring of goodwill towards those who lost power."

A large arson attack in south-western Berlin cut electricity to roughly 45,000 households, nearly 2,000 businesses, hospitals, care homes, schools and major public transport links, producing Germany's longest power outage since the second world war. Leftwing anarchists calling themselves Vulkangruppe claimed responsibility and said the attack aimed to 'turn off the juice of those in power' and spotlight fossil fuel dependence. Federal state prosecutors have taken over the investigation but say evidence is limited to footprints in the snow. Many residents received emergency assistance, displaced people used sports halls, and public goodwill surged toward those affected.

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