Fake nuclear warnings issued after Ukrainian and Russian air alert apps hacked

What the report says

BBC World News reports that air alert apps in both Ukraine and Russia were hacked on Sunday night, triggering false emergency messages for users in each country. In Ukraine, the widely used alert system sent red-level air raid warnings, along with fake notices about radiation, chemical attacks and street fighting in some areas, including Kyiv. Russian officials later said a similar app had been compromised and had pushed bogus alerts, some containing profanity.

Neither government has said who carried out the cyberattacks, and it remains unclear whether the two incidents were linked. Ukraine’s air force told residents to rely on other official channels, while the government said the app had been temporarily disabled for maintenance after apparently being compromised. In Russia, the emergencies ministry said the app’s full functionality would be restored by the end of the day and that the wider warning system was not affected.

The BBC says the fake alerts caused alarm for some Ukrainians, though officials and experts suggested the effect was limited because many people are already accustomed to regular wartime warnings. A Ukrainian parliamentary committee chair said the message language immediately raised suspicions, while a cyber policy scholar said this may be the first time an official Ukrainian information app of this kind has been hacked, though likely not the last.

The reports come against the backdrop of the wider Russia-Ukraine war and ongoing cyber activity between the two sides. BBC reporting noted that informal wording in the bogus messages may point to hacktivist involvement rather than direct state control, but that has not been confirmed.