Air-raid alert apps hacked in Ukraine and Russia, with fake warnings sent in Kyiv

Residents of Kyiv, the Ukrainian capital, received a series of unusual alerts on their phones late on Sunday, 1 November, over roughly an hour from the air-raid warning app that normally warns of incoming Russian drones and missiles. Ukrainian authorities believe the app was compromised. Russia later reported a similar cyberattack on its own system. It appears to be the first breach of this scale since the war began, and it hit one of the main channels authorities use to inform the public.

Fake warnings in Kyiv

The first message, at 22:47, declared a radiation threat in Kyiv. A minute later, a message in Russian said a nuclear alert would be issued across Ukraine and that an Oreshnik missile was flying. At 22:49 came warnings of a chemical attack and of street fighting in Kyiv, both telling people not to go outside. An all-clear was sent at 23:53.

Ukraine's Air Force said on Telegram that the app had probably been subjected to hostile interference, that there was no radiation threat, and urged people to stay calm. The air-raid alert channel said unauthorised parties had interfered with the system, which was temporarily taken offline. Users were told not to click links in suspicious notifications.

Russia's response

Some hours later, Russian authorities said their warning app had been hacked and taken offline. A Ukrainian hacker group has claimed it sent fake alerts about nuclear warheads to users in Russia.

Strikes on energy sites

During the overnight cyber activity, both sides also carried out strikes, targeting energy facilities including oil refineries. Strikes were reported in Zaporizhzhia and Odesa.