'Double-digit' devices involved in attempt to disrupt Brandenburg power station, authorities say
Jan Redmann, interior minister in the German state of Brandenburg, is now briefing the press on the incident at the power substation.
He says that the incident involved attempts to short-circuit the grid to cause a blackout, which worked in two cases, but failed in “several other” cases.
He says he cannot give an exact number of devices involved in the incident - but says they are in “double digits” - as the site is still being searched.
He says the fact that there was no power outage shows that “numerous precautions” in the system worked as intended.
Stefan Kapferer, CEO of the grid operator 50Hertz, also focuses on the fact there attempt to disrupt the substation’s operation was unsuccessful.
But he also says s uch incidents must be treated “seriously,” and says the operator will “work closely with security agencies in the future again,” as he says that “such teamwork as experienced today must function like that in the future as such threats unfortunately will become more frequent.”
Over in Germany, Dietmar Woidke – premier of Brandenburg state, where the incident took place – condemned the targeting of the power lines.
“ We take attacks on our critical infrastructure very seriously, ” he said in a statement quoted by AFP, adding there was a “worryingly high frequency” of such episodes.
“Anyone who tries to sabotage our critical infrastructure and paralyse society is attacking all of us. But we will not allow ourselves to be blackmailed or intimidated by criminal activity.”
Kallas also offers a strong endorsement for further help to Ukraine, as she says:
“Every interceptor we provide to Ukraine means a Russian missile that does not reach a Ukrainian school, home or hospital. And every support we give to Ukraine strengthens European security.”
EU will not let Russia 'scare us away from supporting Ukraine,' Kallas says
Meanwhile, EU’s foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas is speaking from Wicklow, Ireland just now, briefing the press after today’s meeting of defence ministers.
She says Russia’s war is “becoming more ruthless and destructive” and “not closer to ending,” but insists t he EU will not allow Moscow to use its hybrid attacks to “scare us away from supporting Ukraine” – quite the opposite.
Russia’s war is becoming more ruthless and destructive , but it’s unfortunately not closer to ending. Russia’s army is bogged down on the ground, and that is why they are killing civilians from the skies. And this is terror by design in the Black Sea. Russian strikes on grain ships are deliberately putting global food supplies at risk.
Russia is also hitting Europe with a wave of increasingly kinetic hybrid attacks. With this, Russia wants to scare us away from supporting Ukraine. They will not succeed. To the contrary, today also the discussions that we had, we will increase our support to Ukraine and invest in our own defence.
This is the best way to stop Putin. We are also planning the most far reaching sanctions against Russia.”
She says Ukraine is militarily “putting Russia under pressure.”
The German government’s press conference on the Leipzig incident is expected around 5.30pm local time (4.30pm UK).
Related: Germany poised to identify suspect in Leipzig drone attack on Ukrainian plane
A police spokesperson told AFP that at least one of the devices detonated but others failed to go off , she said, adding that no one was hurt and there was no major blackout in the area, about 100 kilometres (60 miles) southeast of Berlin.
German police investigating reported explosives at Brandenburg power substation
As reported earlier, we are expecting to hear from the German government later this afternoon, formally blaming Russia for the recent attempted drone attack at Leipzig airport ( 10:17 ).
But in the meanwhile, German police are investigating some explosives found at a power substation in Turnow-Preilack in Brandenburg, near the coal-fired Jänschwalde power plant.
“Evidence is being secured,” a police spokesperson told German news agency DPA . “Bomb disposal experts are on site.”
Some damage to a power line was discovered this morning, Die Welt said . Local media outlet Märkische Allgemeine reported that explosives had been found and defused at the scene, but police insisted there was no danger to the public.
Investigators believe the explosives were intended to cause a widespread power outage, but network operator 50Hertz told MAZ that there was only a “brief interruption” to its services.
It further told Reuters that “as yet unidentified perpetrators are believed to have caused damage to several power lines in 50Hertz’s transmission grid.”
As often with breaking news story, it’s important to remember that we do not know anything about who could be behind this incident and it may well be a very different story to the Leipzig incident.
Handesblatt noted that in January a group of suspected left-wing extremists set fire to and short-circuited power lines near a different plant in southwest Berlin.
King Harald’s funeral will be held on 9 September at Oslo Cathedral, and he will be laid to rest in the royal mausoleum at Akershus Fortress in Oslo.
The funeral is likely to attract lots of foreign dignitaries and leaders.
Starting from today, members of the public will be able to pay their last respects to him by visiting the palace chapel, where his body is lying in state.
Leaving the parliament, King Haakon VIII is warmly welcomed by gathered on-lookers with applause as he returns to the royal palace.
After the speeches, the Norwegian parliament sings Norway’s royal anthem “Kongesangen,” or the King’s Song, which as you may have noticed shares the same melody with Britain’s “God Save the King.”
With Queen Mette-Marit absent from today’s ceremony due to health issues ( 11:02 ), the King is accompanied by Crown Princess Ingrid Alexandra, the heir apparent to the Norwegian throne.
Norwegian parliament’s president Masud Gharahkhani is now delivering a speech paying tribute to the late King Harald, saying that for many he was “an unwavering defender of our constitution and democratic government” and “a symbol of security, continuity and community.”
He ends the speech asking lawmakers to observe a minute of silence to the late King.
Norwegian King Haakon takes oath of loyalty in parliament
And just like that, King Haakon has just delivered the required oath.
In another ceremonial passage, he also confirmed that he will adopt his father’s motto for his reign: “All for Norway.”
The monarchy remains broadly popular: 72% of Norwegians support it, while 20% favour a republic or another form of government , according to a Norstat poll for broadcaster NRK published on Tuesday, the first poll on the issue taken since Harald’s death, Reuters reported.
King Haakon has now arrived at the Norwegian parliament, and the formal ceremony should get under way very shortly.
As required by the constitution, the King will declare:
“I promise and swear to rule the Kingdom of Norway in accordance with its constitution and laws, so help me God the Almighty and All-knowing.“
Haakon formally became king the moment his father died, but Norway’s constitution still requires him to take an oath of loyalty to the nation’s constitution – and this is what is going to happen today.
Prime minister Jonas Gahr Støre is in attendance, as are many other senior Norwegian leaders and diplomats.
New Norwegian King's swearing-in ceremony in parliament about to get under way - live stream
If you want to keep an eye on the swearing-in ceremony of the new Norwegian King Haakon VIII, we now have a live stream up and running here:
Russia criticises Italy's 'ridiculous' decision to appoint ex Ukrainian defence minister Fedorov as adviser
Russia has described as “ridiculous” the Italian government’s decision to appoint Ukraine’s former defence minister Mykhailo Fedorov as the country’s innovation adviser at the defence ministry.
“This is a perfect example of how western countries use Ukraine and Ukrainians, ” said the Russian foreign ministry spokesperson, Maria Zakharova.
“While ordinary citizens are being mobilised and sent to the trenches in Ukraine to face certain death, the managers of the Kyiv regime are turning military defeats into personal international contracts – and they are not ashamed of it.”
Italy’s defence minister, Guido Crosetto, disclosed the offer shortly after Fedorov was dismissed in July, praising him as a driving force behind military innovation who had helped Ukraine regain the initiative in its war against Russia.
“I understand that they would prefer decisions concerning Italy to be taken by someone who checks with Moscow first, but for the time being that is still not the case,” Crosetto told Ansa in response. “ We make decisions thinking only about Rome, not Moscow, Kyiv or Washington. ”
Fedorov, 35, was fired six months after his appointment, having initiated reforms around procurement and mobilisation that put him on a collision course with the military establishment and political rivals.
In a post on X, Fedorov thanked Crosetto for “his personal support” and for the offer to serve as his adviser.
“In this role, I will assist Italy in adopting modern warfare technologies, enhancing its defence sector, and adapting to emerging global security challenges,” he said.
EU's von der Leyen to meet Nato's Rutte on Wednesday
Over in Brussels, the European Commission is just starting its first midday briefing of the autumn.
It opens with an announcement that Commission president Ursula von der Leyen will receive Nato’s Mark Rutte tomorrow. This comes amid growing scrutiny of Russia’s activities on the eastern flank.
I will keep an eye on more lines coming from that briefing for you.
Ukrainian PM urges lawmakers to speed up key legislation to secure necessary funding
Meanwhile, Ukraine’s prime minister Sergii Koretskyi called on lawmakers on Tuesday to speed up voting on key legislation to help secure necessary financing for Ukraine , as the country is facing a $27bn deficit for defence.
Koretskyi added that his government would audit the needs of the defence ministry, Reuters said.
Back to Germany and the Leipzig incident last month, we now have a confirmation that we will hear from the country’s interior and foreign ministers later today on the attempted Leipzig drone incident, believed to be linked to Russia ( 10:17 ).
Speaking on a foreign visit to Algiers, German foreign minister Johann Wadephul said “ Germany will not be intimidated in any way, and that will continue to be the fundamental stance of our policy.”
“Russia must know that Germany is a stabilising force in Europe, one that is always prepared to negotiate, but which will not be intimidated in any way,” he said in comments reported by German news agency DPA.
I will make sure to keep an eye on this for you.
Norwegian Queen Mette-Marit to skip swearing-in ceremony today owing to health issues
Over in Norway, we are waiting for the swearing-in ceremony of King Haakon, which should get under way in the next hour or so.
But the Norwegian media just reported that Queen Mette-Marit – who has recently come under scrutiny over scandals including a much-criticised association with the late US child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein – will not attend the ceremony owing to complications after her lung transplant in mid-June.
Crown Princess Ingrid Alexandra will be there, though.
There is an interesting back story to today’s meeting of EU defence ministers in Wicklow, with the Irish Times reporting that a British warship and a helicopter designed to hunt submarines have been deployed off the coast of Ireland, just outside Irish territorial waters, in a bid to keep the meeting secure.
The move was needed as the Irish Defence Forces lack the capability to conduct long-range air defence operations , the Irish Times said.
UK foreign secretary Ed Miliband is also expected to join the meeting, the paper said, although it is understood that he will join the Gymnich meeting of foreign ministers, not the defence setting.
Ireland’s approach to defence has drawn close scrutiny in recent weeks given the country holds the EU’s rotating presidency.
Related: Is Ireland’s unprotected ocean the weak link in European defence?
Russia launched more than 2,800 jet-powered drones at Ukraine in August, Kyiv says
Russia launched more than 2,800 harder-to-shoot-down jet-powered drones at Ukraine in August, Ukraine’s air force spokesperson Yuriy Ihnat said on Tuesday.
Their interception rate was lower compared with other types of drones, at around 60%, Ihnat told Ukrainian television in comments reported by Reuters.
Germany to formally blame Russia for attempted Leipzig drone attack today - reports
Separately, we are picking up reports in the German press that Germany is set to formally blame Russia for last month’s failed drone attack on a Ukrainian cargo plane in Leipzig.
Bild newspaper says the German interior and foreign ministers are set to announce the results of their investigation into the incident later today. This is yet to be formally confirmed by any of the ministries involved.
Over the weekend, German chancellor Friedrich Merz sort of suggested that a formal response from the government was coming soon, but did not go into the details.
On behalf of the Irish presidency in the EU Council, Ireland’s defence minister Helen McEntee said the talks in Wicklow come “at a moment of profound challenge for all of us in terms of defence and security,” with closer cooperation needed “more than ever.”
Ukraine, maritime security, and resilience against hybrid and cyber threats will be top of the agenda today, she says.
Opening the meeting, EU’s foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said today’s talks in Ireland will primarily focus on the EU’s support for Ukraine, with further discussions on other current affairs, including maritime security and Lebanon.
She said that Nato remained “the cornerstone of our security,” but with the US urging its European partners to “assume greater responsibility for their own defence,” there is more scope for internal discussions.
She urged ministers to “challenge the conventional thinking to look beyond simply doing more of the same,” and look for ways in which Europe can innovate and offer new capabilities.
Curiously, Kallas also said she would be forming “a high-level group of former political and military leaders from several EU countries , but also the UK and Ukraine, to have a fresh look at how to respond to current and increasing, very real, military threats.”
Morning opening: 12 killed in latest round of Russian attacks on Ukraine
At least 12 people, including an Indian citizen, were killed in overnight Russian attacks on Ukraine with “dozens” more injured, the country’s president Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.
Zelenskyy said the Russian strikes also left “thousands” of families without electricity in the Odesa region, and a border crossing with Romania “deliberately damaged.”
Over the last few days, Ukraine suffered a series of prolonged Russian attacks, including daytime bombing , in the latest attempt to “wear down” the war-torn country. Kyiv has now been targeted for six consecutive days.
Related: Kyiv suffers hours of daytime air raids as Russia deploys new jet-powered drones
The issue of Russian threat will no doubt also come up during an informal meeting of EU defence ministers in Wicklow, Ireland, with some suggestions that Germany could be close to attributing last month’s Leipzig incidents to Russia.
Related: Germany poised to identify suspect in Leipzig drone attack on Ukrainian plane
A number of other countries also saw incidents believed to be linked with Russia, including a suspected arson of a drone factory in Poland on Sunday night. Both Estonia and Latvia briefly activated their air alert systems on Tuesday amid reports of drones near their airspace.
In other news, over in Norway, King Haakon VIII will take his oath in the Norwegian parliament following the death of his father, King Harald. I will keep an eye on that, too.
It’s Tuesday, 1 September 2026 , it’s Jakub Krupa here, and this is Europe Live .
Jan Redmann, interior minister in the German state of Brandenburg, is now briefing the press on the incident at the power substation.
This report is published with credit to theguardian.com. Full available text from the wire is above. Read on theguardian.com →
Source: theguardian.com · Jakub Krupa. Published 1 Sept 2026, 03:15 pm.
