Ukraine's air raid alert app was apparently hacked on Sunday night, briefly telling users that the capital, Kyiv, faced a radiation threat. The Ukrainian Air Force quickly posted: "The Air Alarm application has probably been subjected to hostile interference. There is no radiation threat! Stay calm."
According to sources, the false alerts began at about 22:47 local time, with red-level air raid warnings apparently issued nationwide. Within minutes, Kyiv users received warnings of a radiation threat, a chemical attack and street fighting in the city, along with a mocking Russian-language message about a nationwide nuclear alert. At 23:53, all-clear messages withdrew each warning one by one.
The app is supported by Ukraine's Ministry of Digital Transformation, which said it had been temporarily disabled and urged residents to keep state emergency notifications switched on. In the Lviv region, loudspeakers linked to the app played the radiation signal, forcing officials to reassure residents. The head of the Vinnytsia region called it a cyber-attack and warned people not to click a link in the message, which could be a phishing attempt.
A few hours later, Russia's emergencies ministry said its own app had suffered "a massive cyberattack" that sent fake information to the public. A pro-Ukrainian partisan group operating in Russian-held territory claimed to have hacked the Russian app, a claim that has not been independently verified. The incidents came minutes before a temporary ceasefire in Ukraine's Kherson region ended.