Ukraine’s public air raid alert app was hacked, briefly issuing false warnings of nuclear and chemical threats, street fighting and the deployment of a Russian hypersonic missile.
Ukraine’s Air Force said that yesterday the compromised application sent alarming notifications to users in Kyiv and other parts of the country.
One false alert also claimed that Russia had deployed its Oreshnik hypersonic missile. The Air Force confirmed the incident in a statement on Telegram, warning that the application had apparently come under enemy influence. The alerts later disappeared from the application.
Ukraine’s Ministry of Digital Transformation said the application had been temporarily taken out of operation. However, other public warning systems remained functional, including air raid sirens, ensuring that residents could continue receiving alerts about potential Russian attacks.
The incident came amid growing concerns over cyberattacks targeting public infrastructure and information systems during Russia’s war against Ukraine.
According to the state news agency TASS, Russia’s mobile application for the Emergencies Ministry was also hit by a major cyberattack, resulting in the circulation of false information among users.
It is not immediately clear whether the cyberattacks targeting the Ukrainian and Russian applications were connected or part of a coordinated operation.
