Ukraine blames Russia for false air raid alerts on mobile app
The Ukrainian Air Force reported fake warnings of nuclear threats and missile deployments after the air alert app was hacked on Sunday.
Ukraine has blamed Russia for a hack on its air raid alert app that sent out false warnings to users on Sunday evening, according to Al Jazeera.
The Ukrainian Air Force said the app was subjected to enemy influence, resulting in fake alerts regarding potential street combat and nuclear or chemical threats in and around Kyiv. An erroneous message also claimed that Russia's hypersonic Oreshnik missile had been deployed.
SPRAVDI, Ukraine’s Centre for Strategic Communications, blamed Russia for the hack in a post on X. The Ukrainian Air Force told users on Telegram that there was no radiation threat and advised them to stay calm.
The air raid alert app is used across Ukraine to provide real-time warnings of incoming Russian air attacks. Kyiv authorities stated that a separate app used specifically for the capital was working normally.
Russia's Emergencies Ministry said on Telegram early on Monday morning that its own emergency warnings app had come under a massive cyberattack. The ministry stated this attack led to the spread of false information on the app used to warn users of drone attacks.
