Hacked alert apps send Ukrainians, Russians fake attack warnings

Kyiv, Ukraine - Ukrainian and Russian emergency alert applications designed to inform civilians about potential missile, drone, and other military attacks were compromised on Sunday night. At 10:47 p.m. local time, the Ukrainian app, Air Alert, began disseminating false warnings of radiation, chemical threats, a nuclear attack, and street fighting in Kyiv.

Some residents of Kyiv, who use the app to decide whether to seek shelter, were alerted by the false notifications before the Ukrainian Air Force clarified at 11:02 p.m. that the alerts were not genuine. The Ukrainian Air Force urged Ukrainians to remain calm and follow official updates on multiple platforms, including Telegram.

The app is believed to have been targeted by hostile interference. Two hours later, at 2:45 a.m. in Moscow, Russia's Emergencies Ministry app was similarly hacked. The compromised application sent false alerts to users in 33 regions, claiming that nuclear warheads were being launched across the country, advising residents to stockpile food for three weeks, and instructing them to take shelter in basements.

Russia's media reported the incident, stating that attackers had exploited a vulnerability in the app's administrative panel, leading officials to disconnect and isolate the affected services. Developers of the Ukrainian Air Alert app stated that unauthorized interference occurred and temporarily disabled push notifications and the app itself.

The hacks took place as a temporary ceasefire expired at 10:59 p.m. Ukraine time, in and around Oleshky, a southern Ukrainian city occupied by Russia since 2022. The ceasefire, credited to U.S. First Lady Melania Trump and Pope Leo, allowed humanitarian aid to enter the city and facilitated the evacuation of some civilians. Ukraine's human rights commissioner, Dmytro Lubinets, reported that both sides had adhered to the agreement and were discussing additional humanitarian measures.