Can Germany stop attacks on its key infrastructure?
What does it take to knock out parts of Berlin for days in the middle of winter — and how much do Germany’s authorities really know about who did it?
Last week, Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt (CDU) announced an unprecedented reward: up to €1 million for information leading to the arrest of the culprits behind a major blackout that plunged parts of the capital into darkness in early January.
“We are dealing with a deliberate, highly dangerous attack on our society’s lifelines,” Dobrindt said of the sabotage, which left parts of Berlin without power for several days in subzero temperatures. “Those responsible must be brought to justice.”
Whether the plotters are caught or not, Germany is clearly signalling that it is taking this attack — and any future ones — far more seriously. On Thursday, the Bundestag adopted the Kritis-Dachgesetz, an umbrella law designed to fortify critical infrastructure, from power cables to communications networks, against sabotage.
Lawmakers described the legislation as a response to a growing range of dangers: from domestic eco-radicals targeting energy systems — as suspected in the Berlin blackout — to suspected Russian-linked operations forming part of Moscow’s hybrid campaign against western Europe.
Chancellor Friedrich Merz (CDU) said the blackout and other recent incidents had exposed “how vulnerable our society is,” and argued for more secrecy around Germany’s power, transport and communications networks.
Advertisement
What threats has German infrastructure been facing?
Last September, Germany suffered its largest blackout since the Second World War, when around 50,000 households in southeast Berlin were left without electricity for roughly 60 hours. Investigators reported arson-like damage to power cables.
The scale of disruption was more dramatic on January 3rd, when an arson attack on a cable bridge at the Lichterfelde heating and power station in the capital’s southwest knocked out sections of the city’s grid amid a severe cold snap. The still-unidentified perpetrators set fire to multiple high- and medium-voltage cables, leaving parts of Berlin without power for four frigid days.
Around 45,000 households, more than 2,200 businesses and several hospitals were affected. Schools and Kitas closed, U-Bahn and S-Bahn lines ground to a halt, traffic lights failed, and emergency services switched to backup systems. One death — of an 83-year-old woman — was reported, though authorities could not confirm whether it was caused directly by the blackout.
The incident underscored how a single, low-tech act of sabotage can cascade across urban infrastructure, simultaneously hitting energy, transport, healthcare and education.
A letter claiming responsibility was later posted online by the Vulkangruppe (Volcano Group), a network linked to far-left extremism. In the statement, the radical eco-group framed the arson as a strike against a “destructive” fossil-fuel-based energy system. While the authors apologised to less well-off residents, they expressed little sympathy for “the many owners of villas” in one of the capital’s most affluent corners.
Investigators have not confirmed the group’s responsibility, but authorities say the claim fits a broader pattern. The Vulkangruppe has taken responsibility for several acts of sabotage targeting energy, rail and digital infrastructure in and around Berlin. In 2024, the group also claimed responsibility for an attack on a Tesla factory in Brandenburg, forcing a week-long shutdown.
At the same time, politicians point to a second, very different threat. A string of recent arrests and plots have been connected to Russian-linked sabotage. Most recently in December, the Russian ambassador was summoned amid accusations that the Kremlin is behind cyberattacks, election interference and disinformation aimed at undermining German institutions and public trust.
“Russia is very concretely threatening our security,” said a spokesperson from the German Foreign Ministry, a statement that reflects how defence policies in the era of the Zeitenwende are broader than a narrow gaze on rearmament.
German leaders, including Interior Minister Dobrindt, have also linked increased drone sightings around the country to a hybrid threat and hinted at links to Russia. While the drones have not directly damaged infrastructure, they have caused tangible disruption, including two large-scale airport shutdowns last autumn. In an earlier incident, Russian operatives are thought to have sabotaged fibre-optic cables, halting long-distance and freight services in northern Germany for several hours.
What role does the new law play?
This is where the new Kritis-Dachgesetz steps in. It aims to tighten security requirements and oversight for critical-infrastructure operators so that attacks can be prevented, or at least stopped before they spiral out of control.
Once the law comes into effect by mid-2026, operators will be required to tighten both physical and digital access to sensitive sites. It will also make it harder to access maps of the electricity infrastructure, which until now have been freely available online.
The legislation also expands physical safeguards, from more frequent security audits at previously low-risk sites to broader use of video surveillance.
IT and operational technology systems that run infrastructure are set to be better protected as well. Under the law, operators must report security incidents, attempted attacks and serious vulnerabilities immediately, allowing authorities to intervene more quickly.
Operators can face hefty fines if they fail to comply.
“Critical infrastructure must be protected right where it is: in our communities and cities,” said SPD Bundestag member Dirk Wiese. “The new law strengthens not just digital defences but also physical safeguards, helping us detect risks early and prevent outages before they happen.”
What the legislation doesn’t address, however, is the people behind the attacks. Who is carrying them out? How well organised are they? And, is there more to them than meets the eye?
In this week’s Saturday Essay, Jörg Luyken takes a closer look at the Vulkangruppe — and comes to the unnerving conclusion that Germany’s security services know far less about them and their motives than the public might assume.
The Saturday Essay is available to paying subscribers. Full access costs €1 a week.
Last week’s poll result: Is Germany work-ethic crisis real… or is it a statistical illusion?
Work ethic crisis - 45%
Statistical illusion - 55%
News in Brief
🚆 For much of January, freezing weather caused havoc on the public transport system. This Monday - even with temperatures well below zero — it was a walkout by public transport workers which stranded commuters. Trade union Verdi staged a nationwide strike affecting buses, trams, and the U-Bahn. The union is calling for a 10.5 per cent wage increase, shorter shifts, and longer breaks to make their work more sustainable and attractive. The strike comes amid a debate over whether part-time work is preventing the economy from recovering from years of stagnation.
🛫 As Germany recognises that it can no longer be as reliant on the US, cabinet ministers are putting in the air miles to deepen other partnerships. Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul (CDU) is currently on a trip to Southeast Asia and the Pacific. In Singapore on Monday, he discussed the prospect of an EU-ASEAN free-trade agreement. Meanwhile, Economy Minister Katherina Reiche has been in Saudi Arabia, where Germany is seeking to diversify its energy supplies away from the US. Merz is also visiting the Gulf monarchy on Wednesday, with stops in Qatar and the UAE to follow.
🗳️ Saxony-Anhalt’s outgoing governor, Reiner Haseloff (CDU), has stepped down early to give his successor, Sven Schulze, time to raise his profile ahead of an autumn election in the eastern state. The move reflects growing anxiety within the CDU, with the hard-right AfD on course for a landslide win — in some surveys approaching 40 percent. Haseloff was state governor for 15 years, a stint that earned him the moniker Landesvater, a title the media bestow on a select group of governors who remain popular even when their party is struggling nationally. The little-known Schulze is now taking on a charismatic but controversial young AfD candidate.
Saturday Essays
Part-time work: the hidden engine of Germany’s economy
The first time a colleague in Germany wished me a guten Feierabend — literally, a “good celebration evening” — I wondered what festivities he had in mind. I later laughed at my own misunderstanding. He was referring to something far more ordinary, and far more cherished: the moment work ends, and free time begins.
Germany has reached its last stage of grief over the US
Even though it happened almost 80 years ago, my German grandmother-in-law Rositha still remembers her first encounter with Americans: when they dropped chocolate from the sky.