SHOTLIST:

BERLIN, GERMANY (JAN. 7, 2026) (ANADOLU — ACCESS ALL)

1. VARIOUS OF PEOPLE TRYING TO MAINTAIN DAILY ROUTINES DURING POWER OUTAGE

2. (SOUNDBITE) (German) (TIMECODE: 01:23 - 01:59) BERND CHRISTMANN LIVING IN ZEHLENDORF SAYING:

"It was an unusual situation, because you don’t expect something like that. How can I put it—yes, sometimes you reach your limits, but you have to stay true to yourself and keep calm. If you do that, everything eventually works out. Outside, we tried to keep warm with friends at night using gas stoves and similar things, brewed some tea and so on. It was a real test."

3. (SOUNDBITE) (German) (TIMECODE: 02:00 - 03:21) NATALIE, SOUTH AMERICAN-GERMAN RESIDENT, SAYING:

"We were outside Steglitz—or in Steglitz with our family—and in the evenings we slept at our place. Then we got a generator and stocked up on enough supplies to be self-sufficient.

So we managed with power banks, charging them at my family’s house. I’m also at the office a lot. I have a very good office with showers there, so we were able to charge all our phones and recharge the power banks as well. In any case, the question comes up whether you really need a generator like that, and of course, we also had to get things like a sufficient number of lamps and flashlights. We didn’t have enough flashlights at home.

It’s really about having some basic equipment in case something like this happens again. I think the main issue is partly the whole communication aspect—just thinking about what we could improve—but overall, everyone is doing the best they can. It’s a stupid situation, and precisely for that reason, there’s no concrete criticism in that sense.

There was an outage for a few hours, and another interruption on Saturday. We thought everything would be back to normal that evening. But if outages last for days, it affects people, you start to reconsider the luxuries you take for granted, like hot water and being able to take a proper shower."

4. (SOUNDBITE) (German) (TIMECODE: 03:22 - 04:32) BABI KOFLER, LIVING IN WANSEE, SAYING:

"At first, I wanted to turn on the light for our pet, but it didn’t work. Then I went to the kitchen to make some coffee, but that didn’t work either, and we still had no idea it had even started. My friend works at the hospice in Wannsee, and that evening we helped evacuate the guests there.

After that, we had no electricity until Monday evening, and since yesterday, we’ve had a generator at home. The power was on all evening yesterday and continued until just a short while ago today. Now it has gone out again.

So it meant more candles, camping equipment and a lot of patience at home. It was a truly strange experience, because everyone knows brief power outages, but three days is a very long time, and it will probably last even longer. We have no running water and the heating isn’t working.

The internet was down for a while as well. We were completely cut off from the outside world. That’s when you realize that everything you normally have is actually a luxury.
You can really appreciate it afterward. Yes, we appreciated it yesterday. It felt wonderful to have the lights on again, and to open a breakfast buffet in the morning. It was just like Christmas."

5. (SOUNDBITE) (German) (TIMECODE: 04:33 - 05:09) RETIRED RESIDENT BIRGE BARBARA SAYING:

"I slept at home for two nights. It went relatively well there. The apartment hadn’t cooled down, although the water was getting colder over time. I live on the ground floor in a flat that can be closed off with shutters. I couldn’t open them, so it was very dark. I managed only with tea lights, and my flashlight broke. So it was a new experience for me. I don’t see things as quite so dramatic anymore. I try not to exaggerate them. It wasn’t a pleasant experience, but I got through it. It was an unusual situation, because you don’t expect something like that." BERLIN, GERMANY — JAN. 7, 2026: Thousands of people in southwest Berlin remain without heating or electricity following a major power outage caused by an arson attack on Saturday, Jan. 3, despite freezing temperatures.

The fire damaged electricity cables, cutting power to about 50,000 households and 2,000 commercial businesses, affecting more than 100,000 people.

Authorities in Berlin declared a state of emergency, requesting support from the military and the federal police.

According to utility operator Stromnetz Berlin, the damage to the power grid is severe, and repairs are complicated; full power cannot be restored before Thursday.

The residents affected by the blackout shared their experiences.

"We tried to keep warm with friends at night using gas stoves and similar things, brewed some tea, and so on. It was a real test," Bernd Christmann told.

Natalie, a South American-German resident in Berlin, said she had no specific criticism of the authorities, but noted that the outage made people realize how easily they take everyday comforts for granted, "like hot water and being able to take a proper shower."

Babi Kofler, another resident living in Wansee, described the experience as "truly strange", adding that her household had no running water and that the heating system stopped working.

"...Everyone knows brief power outages, but three days is a very long time, and it will probably last even longer," she noted.

A retired Berlin resident, Birge Barbara, echoed that sentiment. “It wasn’t a pleasant experience, but I got through it. It was an unusual situation, because you don’t expect something like that,” she said.

"Power is expected to be restored to all customers on Thursday afternoon, 8 January 2026. Our teams are on site and we are working hard to restore power," Stromnetz Berlin announced earlier this week.

Local authorities declared a large-scale emergency, urging residents to stay with relatives if possible and to conserve mobile phone use until power is restored.

A far-left group has claimed responsibility for the sabotage attack that left around 50,000 households without electricity in Berlin on Saturday.

According to reports in the German media, the Vulkangruppe sent a letter to police saying it had set fire to cables connected to an energy plant in the Lichterfelde district, describing the act as “an action in the public interest.”

The group claimed it had successfully sabotaged a natural gas power plant, portraying the attack as an act of international solidarity against the fossil fuel industry.

The group also apologized to residents of less affluent neighborhoods affected by the outage, saying its sympathy for the wealthy was limited.

Authorities said the Vulkangruppe has been linked to multiple arson attacks in Berlin and Brandenburg since 2011 and has also been associated with attacks on the electrical infrastructure of a Tesla factory in 2021 and 2024.

Berlin’s Office for the Protection of the Constitution classifies the group as anarchist.