Authorities in Ukraine and Russia say their emergency alert mobile apps were targeted by cyberattacks, with users in Ukraine receiving false warnings of dangerously high radiation levels in the capital, Kyiv.
In a Telegram post late Sunday, Ukraine’s air raid alert channel said “unauthorised parties” had interfered with the app’s operation and that the service had been temporarily suspended. It warned users not to click on links in “suspicious notifications.”
Authorities in Ukraine said the app, which Ukrainians rely on to seek safety amid daily Russian missile and drone strikes, was restored overnight. The alerts -- making false claims of high radiation levels, a chemical threat and public disturbances in Kyiv -- were written in English with spelling and grammatical errors as well as in a mix of Russian and Ukrainian.
One of the false posts mentioned the hacking group Hitcore. Mash, a Russian Telegram channel with links to the security services, said it had spoken to representatives of Hitcore and that they had claimed responsibility for the attack. That claim could not be independently verified. Ukraine’s state-run
Centre for Countering Disinformation reported the breach and urged users to monitor emergency channels on social media and rely on physical alerts while the cyberattack was being addressed.
Yurii Ihnat, a spokesman for Ukraine’s air force command, said the cyberattack had no impact on Ukraine’s security and defence operations because the app is separate from military command systems. Ihnat told Ukraine’s private 1+1 television that the air force continues to report real-time threats through independent communication channels, including popular social media platforms.
In Russia, officials said Monday that hackers had sent fake emergency alerts after gaining access to the Russian Emergency Ministry’s mobile app.
The ministry did not name who carried out the attack. In a statement, it reassured Russians that the wider public alert system was working normally, and that the mobile app acted as a supplementary service alongside alerts shared through SMS messages, media broadcasts and municipal sirens and loudspeakers.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry said that all of Russia’s state agencies were under the constant threat of cyberattacks, including a growing number that use artificial intelligence.