Residents of Germany must be prepared for long power outages due to the growing number of hybrid attacks on the country, Vice President of the Federal Office for Civil Protection and Disaster Management René Funk said.
"I appeal to citizens: prepare for emergencies, this could also include long-term power outages," the German official said.
According to him, this is an "uncomfortable thought" about external threats that Germany needs to get used to.
Funk explained that the number of attacks on critical infrastructure from abroad was increasing. Germany is faced with many hybrid attacks every day.
"We must be prepared not only for military defense, but also for civil defense and protection against natural disasters," he said.
Every German household should be equipped to be self-sufficient for three days for such emergencies as long power outages. Light sources that do not rely on electricity, such as lamps, candles or matches, are important. 1.5 liters of water per person per day, also for personal hygiene, food supplies should be enough for 72 hours. In addition, one should have a battery-powered radio or a dynamo so as not to be cut off from the outside world. It is also recommended to keep cash at home, Funk said speaking about measures in a crisis situation.
German publication T-online cited high-ranking NATO sources who warned of hybrid attacks from China, North Korea, Iran and Russia. These countries are allegedly spreading malware, the website said.
Europe continues to accuse Russia of hybrid attacks. Such accusations were voiced by foreign ministers of six European countries — Great Britain, Germany, Spain, Italy, Poland and France.
"The escalation of Moscow's hybrid activities against NATO and EU countries is also unprecedented in its diversity and scale,” the foreign ministers said in a joint statement following a meeting in Brussels.
Kremlin's official spokesman Dmitry Peskov denied the aforementioned statements.
"Russia is not waging any hybrid wars, we exclude this completely. Russia would like Europe to finally come to its senses and stop consider Russia the culprit of all troubles. Europe should rather turn to the original sources of the problems that European countries have to deal with today," Peskov said.
Russian Foreign Ministry representative Maria Zakharova, in turn, pointed out that Western leaders were making very dangerous statements. According to the diplomat, the West continues to "spin the spiral of escalation waging a hybrid war with Russia and pushing the world toward a global catastrophe."