Ukraine’s air raid alert app was allegedly hacked, sending false warnings of nuclear and chemical threats around Kyiv, as well as a message claiming Russia had deployed a hypersonic missile.
The erroneous alerts were issued on Sunday and also warned of possible street fighting. Ukraine’s Air Force said the app had been subjected to “enemy influence” and urged people to remain calm.
“There is no radiation threat! Stay calm and follow our updates on our channel,” the force said in a message on Telegram.
Ukraine’s Centre for Strategic Communications, known as SPRAVDI, blamed Russia for the alleged cyberattack in a post on X. The app is used across Ukraine to warn residents in real time about incoming Russian air attacks.
Kyiv authorities said a separate alert application dedicated to the Ukrainian capital continued to work normally.
Russia’s Emergencies Ministry later said its own mobile app had been hit by a “massive cyberattack”. The ministry said the incident had resulted in the spread of “false information”.
The announcements came after a localised truce in Kherson ended on Sunday. The ceasefire had begun on Tuesday and was the longest pause in fighting between Russia and Ukraine so far.
