Germany has reported two further suspected sabotage attempts on its electricity grid overnight, adding to a string of incidents this week as the country remains on high alert following a drone attack it has now blamed on Russia. Police say an attempt was made to short-circuit a power grid installation in Dormagen, with a letter claiming responsibility received, while a transformer station in Ganderkesee was cordoned off after "suspicious circumstances", though no danger to the public was reported. The incidents matter because Germany, a NATO member and key backer of Ukraine, has accused Moscow of waging a hybrid campaign of sabotage and espionage across Europe, and officials now expect further attacks to follow.

Earlier in the week authorities investigated vandalism at a substation in Bergheim, North Rhine-Westphalia, that knocked 4,200 megawatts of lignite power capacity offline, and damage to power lines at a critical high-voltage node in Brandenburg. These followed an August drone incident at Leipzig airport, a hub for military and Ukraine-related cargo, where a device found nearby carried explosives. Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Germany was increasingly "in the crosshairs of hybrid attackers", and Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt said the pattern matched known Russian operations; Denmark's intelligence service has separately warned of Russian efforts to recruit citizens to sabotage its defence industry, allegations Moscow denies.