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Ukraine and Russia say emergency alert apps were hacked, sending false nuclear warnings

Ukraine's Air Force says there was no radiation threat, and Russia's Emergencies Ministry reports a separate cyberattack that sent false information to the public.

14 news outlets reported this
Liberal6 outletsBoth countries' alert apps hit, hacking group claimCenter4 outletsHoax nuclear alerts and official denials of dangerConservative4 outletsKyiv radiation alert and Russia blamed
Published 3 min read
Overview

Ukrainian authorities said their air raid alert app was apparently hacked late on Sunday. It sent false warnings of radiation and chemical threats in Kyiv and of street fighting. One message mentioned a nuclear alert and an Oreshnik missile.

Ukraine's Air Force said the app had probably been hacked and that there was no radiation threat. The State Emergency Service said the national warning system worked normally. Authorities said the app was restored overnight and urged users not to click links in suspicious notifications.

Russia's Emergencies Ministry then said, early Monday according to Fox News, that its own mobile app had suffered a massive cyberattack that let attackers send false information to the public. According to ABC News, the ministry said the wider alert system was working normally and did not name who carried out the attack. Ukraine's Center for Strategic Communications blamed Russia, according to Fox News.

A Russian Telegram channel, Mash, said a group called Hitcore claimed responsibility, according to ABC News, which said the claim could not be independently verified. UPI reports that the incident came hours after Russian missile and drone strikes on energy sites in four Ukrainian regions.

Key figures
  • 1,940 attack drones Russia launched at Ukraine in a week, by Zelensky's count — UPI
  • 44 missiles, including 36 ballistic, launched at Ukraine in a week, by Zelensky's count — UPI
  • more than 1,580 guided aerial bombs launched at Ukraine in a week, by Zelensky's count — UPI

Three sides of the story

Liberal6 outlets

Both countries' alert apps hit, hacking group claim

ABC News, running an AP report, frames the story as a double attack. Authorities in both Ukraine and Russia say their emergency apps were targeted late Sunday. It quotes Ukraine's air raid alert channel saying "unauthorized parties" interfered with the app.

It notes the false alerts were written in English with errors and in a mix of Russian and Ukrainian. One fake post named a hacking group, Hitcore. A Russian Telegram channel called Mash, which has ties to the security services, said Hitcore's representatives claimed responsibility.

ABC adds that this could not be independently verified. It also gives Ukraine's Center for Countering Disinformation urging people to monitor emergency channels and rely on physical alerts. On the Russian side, the Emergencies Ministry did not name the attacker and described its app as a supplement to SMS alerts, broadcasts and sirens.

Center4 outlets

Hoax nuclear alerts and official denials of danger

Newsweek leads with the scale, saying millions in both countries received fake alerts, including nuclear threats. It describes the Oreshnik message and Russian reports of false "nuclear warheads" alerts. BBC News gives a minute-by-minute list of the false alerts, starting at about 22:47, and quotes the Air Force: "There is no radiation threat!"

It adds the Vinnytsia region governor's warning not to click the link. UPI quotes the Air Force saying the app had "likely been compromised by the enemy" and the State Emergency Service saying the national system works normally. UPI also places the incident after Russian strikes on energy sites, with Zelensky's weekly strike figures and his call for more Patriot missiles.

Conservative4 outlets

Kyiv radiation alert and Russia blamed

Fox News opens with the false "radiation hazard" and "chemical attack alert" in Kyiv and quotes the alerts telling residents not to go outside. It reports that the public alert map showed a nuclear alert and that street loudspeakers played a recorded message. It quotes the Ukrainian Air Force saying the app "appears to have been subjected to enemy influence" and that there was no radiation threat.

Fox says Ukraine's Center for Strategic Communications blamed Russia, though no group had publicly claimed responsibility. It then reports separately that Russia's Emergencies Ministry said its mobile app was hit by a "massive cyberattack" that let attackers send false information to the public.

All sources: 18 articles from 14 outlets

Liberal (7)

Center (7)

Conservative (4)

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