5d ago

Berlin power outage hits 45,000 homes after suspected arson attack

www.theguardian.com Berlin power outage hits 45,000 homes after suspected arson attack

Damage to cables means tens of thousands will be without electricity until Thursday amid freezing temperatures

The extensive damage means that about 35,000 households will be without electricity until Thursday afternoon, Berlin authorities said in a statement. Power should be restored to other homes by early Sunday.

World News @lemmy.world

Berlin power outage hits 45,000 homes after suspected arson attack

www.theguardian.com /world/2026/jan/03/berlin-power-outage-hits-homes-suspected-arson-attack

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What do the idiots who do shit like this hope to achieve?
- Reportedly, Russia has staged quite a few sabotage acts in Germany in the last few years. So, what do these idiots hope to achieve? A paycheck.
  I have to admit that I'm not fully clear on what Russia tries to achieve with these, they aren't that good at making us believe that it's been some local group (which they definitely tried to a couple of times) and the acts aren't really big enough to sway the German government on sanctions.
  
  I have to admit that I'm not fully clear on what Russia tries to achieve with these
  At least they are gathering information on the infrastructure:
  Is it redundant?
  How long does it take to fix it?
  the impact, i.e.: How many homes, offices, companies, critical infrastructure (e.g. hospitals) are affected?
  
  Russia tries to intimidate us
  
  There's no way Russia does not have ties to this.
- Its hybrid warfare from russia
  
  I'd reserve judgement until there is actual evidence. But it's a plausible assumption, of course.
- The Guardian has an interesting article around a kind of."Gig economy sabotage" driven by Putins secret services.
  Worth a read, because that fire fits well into it, even if there is no concrete proof yet
  https://www.theguardian.com/world/ng-interactive/2025/may/04/these-people-are-disposable-how-russia-is-using-online-recruits-for-a-campaign-of-sabotage-in-europe
- Apparently some radical "environmentalist" group claims responsibility, something something fossil fuels.
  Well done, idiots.

Just how bad is Germany at redundancy? In 2022 just 2 fiber optic cables had to be cut to put the entire German railway in northern Germany out of commission (source).
Maybe Russia should cut more cables to expose the faults in Germany's infrastructure. It's hilarious.
- Redundwhat? Sounds like it would cost money. So let's give the contract to the cheapest bidder and be done. ... What do you mean the cost exploded because the cheapest bidder didn't calculate correctly and also just ignored some costs?
- Public infrastructure typically isn't designed with Russian sabotage in mind, you know. Although maybe nowadays it ought to be.
  
  It doesn't have to be sabotage resistant, it has to be disaster resistant. A single backup line is a joke. With a nationwide fiber network, there would be thousands of backup lines. A single one speaks volumes about German investment in infrastructure.

Manufacturing consent, one step at a time!
- What?

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