Fake nuclear warnings flood Ukraine and Russia after air‑alert apps hacked

Wow! Cyber‑intruders struck the emergency alert systems of both Ukraine and Russia on Sunday night, flooding phones with terrifying but fake warnings.

Ukraine’s app spooked residents

The widely used Ukrainian air‑alert application sent red‑level warnings across the country. In addition to the usual raid alerts, some messages warned of radiation, chemical attacks and even street fighting in Kyiv and other areas.

Olena, a Kyiv resident, told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme she was shocked: “The first thought was ‘oh my god, I’m not prepared for this’. I’m prepared for blackouts, for a cut in central heating and water supply, but not for nuclear attack.”

She added that her husband later received alerts for “street fighting attacks in Kyiv” and another notice written in Russian, which made them realise the app had been tampered with.

The Ukrainian Air Force posted on Telegram that the app “has probably been subjected to hostile interference. There is no radiation threat! Stay calm and follow our updates on our Telegram channel.”

Following the breach, the government said the app was temporarily disabled for maintenance, acknowledging that it had “apparently been compromised”.

Russia experiences a parallel breach

Hours after the Ukrainian incident, Russian authorities announced that a similar emergency‑alert app had been hacked. The false alerts triggered in Russia included foul language, but the source does not detail the content beyond that.

It remains unclear who is behind either hack or whether the two incidents are linked.

Many Ukrainians, accustomed to nightly alerts about missile and drone strikes, have begun disabling the app after four and a half years of war, according to BBC reports.

Stay tuned for further updates as officials investigate the cyber‑attacks and work to restore confidence in these critical warning systems.