kyiv – Ukrainian and Russian emergency alert apps used to warn civilians of incoming missiles, drones and other military attacks were hacked hours apart on Sunday night, sending false messages about radiation, chemical attacks and nuclear attacks. At 10:47 pm local time (3 pm ET), Air Alert, a Ukrainian application developed by Ajax Systems and Stfalcon with the support of the Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine, began sending false warnings about radiation, chemical threats, a nuclear attack and even street fights in kyiv. Some Ukrainians rely on the app to decide whether or not to take shelter ahead of Russian missile and drone attacks. However, many also rely on the social media platform Telegram, where the country’s Air Force and security analysts share more specific information about incoming attacks. The Ukrainian Air Force confirmed just 10 minutes later, at 11:02 pm local time, on multiple platforms, that the notifications were false. “The Air Alert application appears to have been subjected to hostile interference. There is no radiation threat!” the Air Force said in a message shared on Telegram, urging Ukrainians to remain calm and follow official updates. A smartphone displays notifications from the “Air Alert” emergency alert app in kyiv, Ukraine, received on the night of November 1, 2026, amid the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine. The notifications, sent due to an app hack, reached millions of people across Ukraine, warning of a “nuclear alert”, a “chemical threat” and even “street fights” in kyiv. Roman PILIPEY/AFP/Getty Some kyiv residents told CBS News they immediately knew the notifications were fake after checking Telegram channels. A couple of hours later, at 2:45 a.m. in Moscow (6:45 p.m. Eastern Time), the Russian Emergencies Ministry’s app was also hacked. Fake alerts were sent to users in 33 regions, according to tightly controlled Russian media, which said the messages warned of the launching of “nuclear warheads” across the country and instructed residents to stock up on food for three weeks and take shelter in basements. The Russian ministry said the attackers had exploited a vulnerability in the administrative panel of its application, prompting officials to disconnect and isolate the affected services. The developers of the Air Alert app in Ukraine said “unauthorized interference” had occurred and temporarily disabled push notifications and the app itself. Yurii Ihnat, a spokesman for the Ukrainian Air Force, said the attack had no impact on Ukraine’s security operations and that the Air Alert app is not affiliated with the country’s military command systems. The attacks came as a temporary ceasefire expired at 10:59 p.m. Ukraine time on Sunday in and around Oleshky, a city in southern Ukraine that has been occupied by Russia since 2022. The truce, credited by both sides to US first lady Melania Trump and Pope Leo, began on October 27. It allowed humanitarian aid to enter the city and the evacuation of some civilians. Ukraine’s human rights commissioner, Dmytro Lubinets, said both sides had respected the agreement and were discussing further humanitarian measures. Go deeper with The Free Press on:
