Ukraine and Russia Hit By Hoax Nuclear Threat Alerts After Cyberattacks - Newsweek

Millions of people in Russia and Ukraine received fake emergency alerts late on Sunday, including for nuclear threats, as authorities in both countries said their warning systems had been hacked.

Ukraine's air alert app, which tells residents when they are at risk of Russian attacks, showed false warnings about radiation and chemical threats in Kyiv, followed by a "nuclear alert across Ukraine" shortly before 11 p.m. local time (4 p.m. EST).

A false message said a Russian Oreshnik nuclear-capable intermediate-range ballistic missile had been launched at the country. Moscow debuted the Oreshnik when it struck the central Ukrainian city of Dnipro with a conventional warhead in November 2024.

Ukraine's air force said the warning app had likely been "compromised" and denied claims of a radiation threat, while Ukraine's air alert controllers said "unauthorized persons" had "interfered" with the app, forcing it to be taken temporarily offline.

The air alert app has been downloaded more than 46 million times since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, and is the main way more than 6.6 million people in Ukraine find out about air threats, according to its developer.

A further message sent to Ukrainian users then claimed street fighting had broken out in the capital, warning: "Don't go outside."

Spravdi, a Ukrainian government-backed organization, blamed Russia for hacking the Ukrainian systems.

Ukraine's government said all other emergency systems, like air raid sirens, were working as normal and urged residents to use the military's social media channels to track incoming threats.

Just hours later, Russia's emergency situations ministry said its mobile app had been targeted by "a massive cyberattack," broadcasting fake information to the Russian public.

Residents received false messages about the launch of "nuclear warheads" on Ukrainian P1-SUN drones, Russian media reported.

Images of the messages published by Russian sources, which appeared to be sent by regional authorities, show false warnings for "all regions of Russia," urging people to stock up on food and take shelter in basements.

This is a breaking story and will be updated.

Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Tobias Meyjes and Tony Phillips.