Russian app also hit by cyberattack following similar breach of Ukrainian air raid platform

UPDATE - follow-up to Ukraine air raid app apparently hacked as users residents receive false radiation threat, Air Force says: Russian authorities reported that their own alert application was also hacked just hours after a similar breach affected Ukraine's air raid system. A Ukrainian espionage group reportedly sent fake warnings of nuclear strikes inside Russia during the incident.

False Alerts

The initial breach on Sunday caused Ukraine's air alert app to issue false warnings of radiation and chemical threats in Kyiv alongside red-level air raids nationwide, starting at approximately 22:47. Additional messages mentioned upcoming nuclear alerts and even street fighting in the capital before a series of all-clear notifications were delivered at 23:53. The Ukrainian Central Intelligence Agency confirmed a system failure and noted that the radiation hazard signal was also played on loudspeakers in the Lviv region.

Official Responses

Regional governors utilized Telegram to reassure residents and clarify that the warnings were false. Svitlana Onyshchuk, governor of the Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast, stated that everything remained calm, while Vinnytsia oblast governor Natalya Zabolotna warned the public not to click on any links in the messages due to potential phishing risks. The Ministry of Digital Transformation temporarily disabled the app for maintenance after the compromise. Meanwhile, Russia's ministry of emergency situations stated its app faced a massive cyberattack sending fake information, with the Ukrainian outlet UNN reporting that the partisan group Atesh claimed responsibility for sending fake nuclear threat alerts inside Russia.

Context

These digital disruptions took place around the time a localized ceasefire in Ukraine's front-line Kherson region came to an end. Mobile emergency applications have become vital public safety tools during the ongoing conflict, making them frequent targets for cyber interference and psychological warfare.