Ukraine and Russia each say hackers sent false emergency alerts through their official alert apps on Sunday night, in what may be a Ukraine Russia alert app hack. The incidents came after a six-day Kherson truce ended, raising fears of escalating digital warfare.
Ukraine’s Air Force said its Air Alert app was likely "compromised by the enemy" and that there was no radiation threat. It urged residents to stay calm, according to NBC News.
According to NBC News, the fake Ukrainian alerts began around 10:45 p.m. Kyiv time. They warned residents of a radiation hazard, a chemical threat and street fights, and said Russia’s Oreshnik missile was in action.
Ukraine’s Center for Strategic Communications blamed Russia, pointing to the use of Russian language in one fake message, according to Al Jazeera.
Russia’s emergencies ministry said its app suffered a "massive cyberattack" that spread fake information early Monday. It did not name who was to blame, saying only that "malicious actors" were behind it, according to NBC News.
Media reports cited by Al Jazeera said hackers warned Russians that nuclear warheads on Ukrainian drones had been launched on all regions. They reportedly told people to stock up on food for three weeks and to hide. Al Jazeera’s account of this content relies on these unnamed media reports, and no screenshot or official text is quoted.
Al Jazeera reports that this appears to be the first time either country’s official alert app has been hacked.
The alerts followed the end of a six-day localised ceasefire in Russian-occupied Kherson. That truce allowed evacuations from the town of Oleshky and was reportedly brokered with involvement from first lady Melania Trump and Pope Leo XIV. Al Jazeera notes that Ukraine is particularly sensitive to nuclear alarms because of the 1986 Chornobyl disaster and fighting near the Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant.
Al Jazeera also points to earlier cyberattacks, including Russia’s Sandworm group taking Kyivstar offline in late 2023, which disrupted notifications for days.
It is not independently confirmed who carried out the hacks. Attribution comes only from Ukrainian and Russian officials and agencies. NBC News reports it was not immediately clear whether the two incidents were linked, and no Kremlin or other Russian official response to the fake-alert claims is reported beyond the emergencies ministry statement.
Ukraine’s app was reportedly being restored, and Russia said its system was operating normally. Sources do not describe any official investigation. Al Jazeera reports that many people in Ukraine expect renewed fighting along the front lines.
This account draws on reports from NBC News and Al Jazeera, and the Russian ministry’s full statement was not quoted directly.
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This article was written with AI assistance from the published reporting listed above. It is part of the World Brief daily news podcast.