Ukrainian and Russian emergency alert apps hacked to send false nuclear and radiation warnings

Emergency alert apps in Ukraine and Russia were hacked on Sunday night and sent false warnings of nuclear, chemical and radiation threats, authorities in both countries said. Ukraine's Air Alert app, developed by Ajax Systems and Stfalcon with support from the Ministry of Digital Transformation, began sending false alerts at 10:47 p.m. local time. They warned of radiation, chemical threats, a nuclear attack and street fighting in Kyiv. The Ukrainian Air Force said at 11:02 p.m. that the app had been subjected to hostile interference and that there was no radiation threat. Officials said the service was temporarily suspended, then restored, and that air raid sirens worked normally. About two hours later, at 2:45 a.m. Moscow time, Russia's Emergencies Ministry app was also hacked, and false alerts went to users in 33 regions. One fake message claimed Russia had launched an Oreshnik hypersonic missile. The posts were in Russian and mentioned a group called Hitcore. The Russian Telegram channel Mash said group representatives claimed responsibility. It is not clear whether the two hacks are linked.

Left-leaning outlets CBS News and CNN focus on verification and sequence. CBS gives exact times, notes that many Ukrainians also rely on Telegram channels, and quotes Kyiv residents who recognized the alerts as fake. CNN's headline stresses the fake nuclear warnings and says it is unclear whether the hacks are linked. Right-leaning New York Post opens with people "plunged into panic" and adds the spelling errors, the Oreshnik claim, Hitcore and Mash's report of responsibility, details absent from the left-leaning excerpts. Both sides report the same core facts and the Air Force denial. The alternative outlet Semafor takes a distinct angle, placing the hacks alongside a German phone cyberattack and a Pentagon contractor's AI agent as signs of AI-security concerns.