Ukraine and Russia Report Hacks of Emergency Alert Apps, Sending False Warnings of Attacks

Kyiv, Ukraine. Ukraine and Russia both reported that their emergency alert applications were hacked overnight, causing false warnings of air raids, chemical strikes and nuclear attacks to reach the public. The incident came as a six-day local truce expired.

Fake alerts in Ukraine

Ukraine’s public air raid app began issuing bogus notifications shortly before 11 p.m. (2100 GMT) on Sunday. The messages covered Kyiv and other regions and cautioned about radiation and chemical attacks, as well as the danger of street fighting in certain areas.

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One fabricated message claimed Russia had fired a hypersonic Oreshnik missile, a weapon able to carry a nuclear warhead, and that a nuclear alert had been declared throughout Ukraine.

Air force and ministry response

Soon afterwards, Ukraine’s air force posted on the Telegram messaging app that the system seemed to have been hacked by Russia. It pointed out that the alerts were sent in Russian, whereas Ukrainian is mandatory for all official communications in the country.

The air force said the app appeared to have come under enemy influence. It stated: “There is no radiation threat!” It also urged people to stay calm and follow updates on its channel.

Each false alert was followed shortly by an all-clear message. Ukraine’s Ministry for Digital Transformation said the emergency app was temporarily suspended, while other methods of warning the public, including air raid sirens, continued to work.

Ceasefire context

The warnings coincided with the end of a six-day local ceasefire in a small part of southern Ukraine, brokered by US first lady Melania Trump. It was the longest such pause in fighting since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in 2022.

Reaction in Kyiv

Residents of Kyiv played down the effect of the hack. Artem Pyndyk, a 37-year-old businessman, said the messages briefly surprised him before he understood what was going on.

He said: “This did not trigger the kind of reaction in society that they expected.” Pyndyk added that the family members and friends he contacted had not panicked either.