Unknown hackers have targeted Ukraine’s nationwide emergency alert mobile app, sending residents in Kyiv a warning that they were at risk of an imminent nuclear strike. The app reported a high possibility of nuclear radiation late on Sunday. It also wrongly warned of a chemical threat to the Ukrainian capital and street-to-street fighting.
The messages were written in English with spelling mistakes, as well as in Ukrainian. Many residents ignored the alerts, which began shortly before 11pm local time, assuming that the app had been compromised. The Kremlin has used the ballistic weapon three times before, hitting the Kyiv region, and the cities of Dnipro and Lviv.
In a post on Sunday, the Ukrainian emergency app said “unauthorised parties” had interfered with its operation. The channel had been temporarily suspended, it said, warning users not to click on links in “suspicious notifications”. It was unclear on Monday who might have carried out the cyber-raid, or why.
Russian officials claimed hackers had also sent fake emergency alerts there after gaining access to the app of the ministry for emergencies, based in Moscow. One of their posts mentioned the hacking group Hitcore. Mash, a Russian Telegram channel with links to the security services, said it had spoken to representatives of Hitcore and that they had claimed responsibility for the attack.
The report could not be verified. The fake nuclear threats to Ukraine came as Russia resumed its attacks on the southern city of Kherson, just hours after the end of a ceasefire during which hundreds of people were evacuated from the nearby Kremlin-controlled town of Oleshky. Kherson’s military administration said a Russian drone hit a hospital at 7.40am.
Video footage showed wrecked rooms, with windows blown out, doors broken, and debris on the street. Nobody was hurt, officials said. There is evidence that the Russian army used the six-day ceasefire, which the White House said was brokered by the first lady, Melania Trump, to strengthen its positions in Oleskhy and to rotate in new troops.
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