- The Global Fact-Checking Network also dismissed speculations that such an unprecedented power grid failure could be the work of malicious actors
MOSCOW, May 7. /TASS/. The Global Fact-Checking Network (GFCN) has debunked myths that the April 28 major power outage in Southern Europe was caused by solar flares or a Russian cyberattack.
“Online platforms have seen the spread of claims attributing Europe’s major energy incident to solar flares,” GFCN said in a report published on its website launched in April 2025 by TASS and the ANPO “Dialog Regions.”
“At the same time, according to scientists’ observations, no solar flares have been detected in recent days. Moreover, no significant fluctuations in magnetic waves that could have such an impact on equipment have been recorded either,” GFCN said.
GFCN also dismissed speculations that such an unprecedented power grid failure could be the work of malicious actors. Some media outlets and Facebook users assumed that Russia was behind the sudden power outage leading to blackouts.
No sabotage evidence
Spanish officials and energy company experts have rejected allegations that the incident was caused by a cyberattack or an act of sabotage, GFCN recalled.
“We’ve thoroughly examined all systems and found absolutely no evidence of cyber intrusion or external interference. The incident stems from technical failures within our grid infrastructure” GFCN quoted Eduardo Prieto, Director of Operations at Red Eléctrica, as saying.
A number of European officials also stated that there was no evidence suggesting the blackout was intentional and found no indications of any cyberattack.
Blackout causes
According to Sky News, a press release from Spain’s National Security Council identified the primary cause of the blackout as a malfunction in the Spanish power grid linked to a “rare atmospheric phenomenon.”
The Portuguese grid operator said that the outage occurred due to “abnormal fluctuations in ultra-high voltage transmission lines” linked to extreme temperature variations in Spain. This phenomenon caused desynchronization between power systems, triggering cascading failures across the entire European interconnected grid.
A number of experts noted that Spain’s transition to renewable energy sources may have been a potential trigger for the problem.
“The blackout in Spain and Portugal serves as another reminder: in an era of instant information dissemination, it is critical to verify facts before publishing sensational unverified claims. Neither ‘solar flares’ nor ‘cyberattacks’ were confirmed – authorities attributed the incident to a rare atmospheric phenomenon,” GFCN said.
“But this version also requires further study and a full investigation, which is already underway. Only this approach can prevent panic and the spread of false information, which exacerbate the consequences of crises,” the fact-checking network concluded.
Source: https://tass.com/society/1954155