Ukraine and Russia report cyberattacks on emergency alert apps
Hackers sent false nuclear warnings in Ukraine and fake alerts across 33 Russian regions.
By Alessia Desai ·
Cyberattacks targeted the emergency alert mobile applications used by both Ukraine and Russia late Sunday.
Ukrainian residents received false warnings claiming high radiation levels, chemical threats, and public disturbances in Kyiv. The messages contained spelling and grammatical errors and were written in English, Russian, and Ukrainian.
One alert, written in Russian, read: “Hi! There will be a nuclear threat across Ukraine. Do not worry, the Oreshnik is incoming.” The message referenced a Russian intermediate-range ballistic missile.
Ukraine’s air raid alert channel said “unauthorized parties” interfered with the app’s operation. The channel advised users not to click links in suspicious notifications.
Ukraine’s state-run Center for Countering Disinformation urged the public to monitor other emergency channels on social media and rely on physical alerts while the issue was addressed.
Yurii Ihnat, a spokesman for Ukraine’s air force command, told Ukraine’s private 1+1 television that the cyberattack had no impact on security and defense operations. He explained that the app is separate from military command systems.
Russian authorities said hackers accessed the Emergency Situations Ministry’s mobile app to send false alerts. The ministry stated that the breach affected 33 of Russia’s 89 regions at approximately 2:45 a.m. Moscow time.
The ministry said the digital vulnerability had been identified and that “necessary measures” were being taken. It reassured the public that the wider alert system, which uses SMS, media broadcasts, and municipal sirens, was working normally.
A Russian Telegram channel said a hacking group named Hitcore claimed responsibility for the breach of the Ukrainian system. That claim had not been independently verified, and details about the group’s identities or motivations remained unclear.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said that all Russian state agencies face a constant threat from cyberattacks, including a growing number that use artificial intelligence.
Peskov said, “All government bodies must take steps to improve the cybersecurity of our digital resources.”
In the Kherson region, Ukrainian authorities reported multiple Russian drone attacks early Monday, hours after a humanitarian ceasefire expired at midnight. The ceasefire, which began on October 27, was the most significant truce since Russia’s full-scale invasion began nearly five years ago. It was part of a humanitarian aid and evacuation mission in the Russian-occupied city of Oleshky.
