Ukraine and Russia have accused each other of hacking into systems used to send out emergency alerts to citizens, raising fears of a new escalation of digital and psychological warfare tactics. The systems’ apps sent out radiation alerts on Sunday and Monday to civilians before officials issued public clarifications. The fake threats began on the same day as a localised ceasefire in the Russian-occupied Kherson region came to an end on Sunday.
The truce, which the United States said was brokered by first lady Melania Trump, is the longest so far in Russia’s more than four-year war on Ukraine. The ceasefire lasted for six days, during which humanitarian aid and evacuations were allowed in the Russian-occupied town of Olekshy. Al Jazeera’s Audrey Macalpine, reporting from Kyiv, said many people in Ukraine now expect renewed fighting along the front lines.
Here’s what we know about the fake notifications: Ukraine’s Air Force said late on Sunday that users of its Air Alert app, which warns people of incoming air attacks, received fake warnings of nuclear and chemical threats to areas in and around Kyiv. Users were also warned of potential street combat and told that Russia’s hypersonic Oreshnik missile had been deployed. Stay calm and follow our updates on our channel.” Ukraine’s Center for Strategic Communications blamed Russia.
In a post on X, the agency pointed to the use of the Russian language in one of the fake messages. The Ukrainian government said a separate app created for the capital city was working normally. The fake alerts came just after 10pm ( ), startling a lot of people, Macalpine reported.
The ministry did not name any suspects but said the alerts spread “false information”. Media reports said the hackers warned Russians that “nuclear warheads mounted on P1-Suns [Ukrainian drones] had been launched on all regions” of the country. The alerts also instructed people to “urgently” stock up on food for three weeks and to hide.
This appears to be the first time either Ukraine’s or Russia’s official alert apps have been hacked. However, cyberwarfare has long been a major part of the countries’ previous confrontations. Russian hackers have attacked Ukraine’s election systems in the past and in January 2022 attacked Ukrainian government and banking sites.
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