n early September 2026, two acts of sabotage were carried out against German substations, fitting into a pattern of hybrid incidents targeting German infrastructure in recent months and years. Substations are part of Germany’s critical infrastructure, and a power outage would have cascading effects on Germany, according to Umbach.
The recent acts of sabotage highlight the importance of protecting critical infrastructure. Umbach also emphasized the need to address hybrid threats—such as the sabotage of power grids, as well as threats to cybersecurity and communication systems—in a coordinated manner.