A day of absolute chaos, the likes of which had never been seen before. On Monday, Spain and several other European countries experienced a widespread power outage, leaving half of the continent without electricity and shutting down airports and roads. Trains, subways, and traffic lights were out of service. The communications infrastructure has also been affected: telephone connections are scarce, and news reaches people only sporadically. The causes are currently unclear, but the Spanish government and the European Union have already targeted a possible cyberattack.
Indeed, Brussels is pointing to an “unprecedented wave of cyberattacks” that has affected 15 countries across the continent. This incident is considered one of the largest cyberattacks in history. EU security agencies have identified Russian state-backed groups as suspects, although the Kremlin has officially denied any involvement in the power outage, calling the accusations “baseless and provocative.”
“It is a direct attack on European sovereignty,” declared European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. She emphasized that this threat would be responded to with “unity, strength, and resilience.”
In Spain, the government has convened a crisis cabinet to address this unprecedented situation, which has also affected hospitals where surgeries have had to be postponed. The DGT has urged citizens to avoid travel, and the emergency services have asked that the emergency number 112 be called only in genuine emergencies.
