Ukraine and Russia report fake emergency alerts after cyberattack

Ukraine and Russia reported that their emergency alert mobile apps were targeted by cyberattacks, with users in Ukraine receiving false warnings of an imminent nuclear threat. The attacks occurred late Sunday, and it was unclear if they were related.

Ukraine’s emergency service, which residents rely on for safety during daily missile and drone strikes, was briefly suspended due to the attack but is now operational again. Russian authorities stated that hackers had accessed the Russian Emergency Situations Ministry’s app and sent fake alerts, with efforts ongoing to restore functionality.

A Russian Telegram channel claimed a hacking group named Hitcore was responsible for breaching the Ukrainian system, but this could not be independently verified. The alerts sent to Ukrainians included false claims of high radiation levels, chemical threats, and public disturbances in Kyiv, written in English with spelling and grammatical errors, as well as a mix of Russian and Ukrainian.

One message, written in Russian, warned of a nuclear threat across Ukraine, referencing a Russian intermediate-range ballistic missile known as the Oreshnik. Ukraine’s air raid alert channel warned users not to click on suspicious links following the breach and advised relying on other emergency channels and physical alerts.

Russia’s Emergency Ministry confirmed that hackers used its app to send false alerts to 33 of its 89 regions at approximately 2:45 a.m. Moscow time. The ministry stated the digital vulnerability had been identified and that necessary measures were being taken to prevent future breaches. It also reassured Russians that the public alert system was functioning through SMS, media, and sirens.

The limited ceasefire in the Kherson region, which had been in place since October 27, ended at midnight on Monday. The ceasefire, part of a humanitarian aid and evacuation mission in the Russian-occupied city of Oleshky, saw the evacuation of 94-year-old individuals and 104 pets, including four parrots.

Ukraine’s ombudsman described the mission as exhausting and complicated, with the involvement of U.S. officials critical to the effort.