Ukraine and Russia said cyberattacks sent false emergency warnings through mobile alert apps overnight Sunday, temporarily disrupting a key public-safety channel. (Foto: Instagram)
Ukraine and Russia said their mobile emergency alert systems were targeted by cyberattacks overnight Sunday, Nov. 1. The apps warn people about incoming airstrikes, including approaching missiles and drones, and advise them to seek shelter or move to a bunker. The reported intrusions appear to be the first on this scale since the war began, disrupting an important channel authorities use to communicate with the public.
In Kyiv, residents received a series of unusual alerts over roughly an hour. People in the city normally get several warnings a day about Russian drones or missiles. After four years living in a war zone, many are accustomed to hearing their phones sound alerts, often followed by street sirens. But the messages Sunday warned of possible nuclear radiation, a chemical attack and fighting in Kyiv’s streets. One message was in Russian, an indication that something was amiss.
The alerts were sent at 10:47 p.m., warning that a radiation risk had been declared in Kyiv; at 10:48 p.m., saying a nuclear alert would be issued across Ukraine and telling people not to worry because “Oreshnik is flying”; and at 10:49 p.m., warning of a possible chemical attack in Kyiv and urging people to stay indoors. A second message at 10:49 p.m. claimed fighting was taking place in the streets and also told residents not to leave home. An all-clear notice followed at 11:53 p.m.
Within an hour, Ukrainian officials said on Telegram that they believed the apps’ system had been compromised. The air-raid alert channel said “unauthorized parties” had interfered with the system, which was temporarily taken offline, and urged users not to click links in suspicious notifications. Ukraine’s Air Force said the app had “likely experienced hostile interference,” adding that there was no radiation threat and advising people to remain calm and follow updates on its channel.
Russian authorities said Monday, Nov. 2, that hackers had accessed the mobile app of the Ministry of Emergency Situations and used it to send false information. The ministry said it had temporarily taken the app offline. It also sought to reassure the public that the country’s broader warning system remained operational, including text messages, broadcasts, street sirens and loudspeakers.
Russia’s ministry did not identify those responsible. Ukrainian media, however, reported claims by the Ukrainian cyber group Atesh that it had sent the messages in Russia, which also included nuclear threats. The claim was not confirmed by Russian authorities.
