Ukraine’s Air Force says hackers compromised the public air raid alert application, briefly sending false nuclear, chemical and street-combat warnings to residents.

KYIV, UKRAINE — WEB DESK: Ukraine’s public air raid alert application was hacked on Sunday, November 1, briefly displaying false warnings of nuclear and chemical threats in Kyiv and other parts of the country, prompting authorities to urge residents to remain calm.

Ukraine’s Air Force confirmed that the application had been subjected to hostile interference. The false notifications included warnings of radiation hazards, chemical attacks and possible street fighting. Another misleading message claimed that Russia had deployed its Oreshnik hypersonic missile.

Authorities clarified that there was no radiation threat and urged the public to follow verified government communications rather than relying on the compromised notifications. The abnormal alerts later disappeared.

Ukraine Warns Public Against False Emergency Alerts

The country’s Ministry for Digital Transformation temporarily suspended the affected application while technical measures were taken to address the incident.

Officials stressed that other public warning channels remained operational, including air raid sirens. A separate application specifically designed for alerts in Kyiv was also reported to be functioning normally.

Ukraine’s Centre for Strategic Communications blamed Russia for the cyberattack in a public statement. However, independent confirmation of the attack’s perpetrators was not immediately available.

Russia Also Reports Cyberattack on Emergency App

In a separate development, Russia’s Emergencies Ministry reported that its mobile application had suffered a major cyberattack early Monday.

The incident reportedly allowed attackers to distribute false information through the application. Russian authorities said efforts were underway to restore normal operations.

It remained unclear whether the incidents affecting the Ukrainian and Russian applications were connected or involved the same attackers.

The incidents highlight the growing risks of cyberattacks targeting public emergency communication systems during wartime. Such systems play an important role in informing civilians about incoming attacks and directing them towards safety.

Both countries continue to face security challenges as the Russia-Ukraine war enters another phase of military and digital confrontation.