Nuclear danger, radiation threat and street combat: Ukrainians received a wave of messages Sunday night that raised alarm with a series of grave — and baseless — warnings. Authorities said the country’s emergency alert application had been targeted in a cyberattack, and hours later Russia said its own alert system had also been hacked. The dueling accusations came just as a rare humanitarian ceasefire between the two sides ended, raising fears of intensified fighting rather than a move toward broader peace.
Residents in Ukraine have become used to the unsettling alerts that buzz their phones with news of incoming Russian missiles and drones — a service millions rely on to seek shelter before the attacks hit their cities. But the warnings on Sunday night immediately stood out. The messages, which began around 10:45 p.m.
Kyiv time (3:45 pm ET), warned residents not to go outside because of radiation hazard, chemical threat and street fights. Another message professed, in Russian, that all of Ukraine was under nuclear alert. Shortly after the alerts went out late Sunday, Ukraine’s Air Force said the country’s “Air Alert” app had likely been “compromised by the enemy,” confirming there was no “radiation threat” and urging calm.
In separate statements, the app’s creators said “unauthorized third parties interfered with the operation of the app,” forcing them to temporarily suspend its operations. It later called the incident a “cyberattack,” saying it was gradually restoring the service. Ukrainian media reported that users across the country received the alert, and in the Western Lviv region authorities reported that some of the public warning sirens and loudspeaker systems broadcast a “radiation hazard” signal.
Still, many Ukrainians did not appear unduly alarmed or panicked by the alerts. In fact, many shared memes online, poking fun at what they saw as a blatant fake, and the fact the warning was issued in Russian. Meanwhile, Russia’s emergencies ministry also said early Monday that its mobile application has suffered a “massive cyberattack,” resulting in what it said was “dissemination of fake information to the public.” The public alert system was restored and was operating normally, the ministry said shortly after.
It emphasized that the app was only “an additional, supplementary information service.” Screenshots shared by Russian media and some regional authorities suggested the alert, issued in Russian, warned of “nuclear warheads” launched at Russia. As with the Ukrainian alert, the wording was casual and did not appear official. Russian authorities did not say who was to blame for the alleged cyberattack, only saying “malicious actors” were behind it.
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