THE PHONES SCREAMED NUKE, AND IT WAS A HOAX! Ukraine and Russia both say their air alert apps were hacked on Sunday night, firing off fake warnings of attacks, including nuclear ones, the BBC reported.
Ukraine’s widely used app pushed red-level air raid warnings nationwide, with extra alerts about radiation, chemical attacks and street fighting in places including Kyiv. The air force told people: “There is no radiation threat! Stay calm.” The government temporarily disabled the app, saying it had “apparently been compromised.”
A few hours later Russia said one of its alert apps was hit by “a massive cyberattack.” A purported fake alert, shared by the partisan Ukrainian group Atesh, warned that nuclear warheads on Ukrainian drones had been launched at all regions of Russia and told residents to “stock up urgently on food for three weeks and hide.”
Kyiv resident Olena told the BBC: “I’m prepared for blackouts, for a cut in central heating and water supply, but not for nuclear attack.” Some fake Ukrainian alerts were written in Russian, which tipped many people off.
Who’s behind it is unclear, and so is whether the two hacks are connected. Experts say the informal language points to hacktivist groups rather than governments. Stanford’s Herbert Lin: “I suspect it won’t be the last.”
Featured image: AI-generated editorial illustration by Bugle Blast.
Sources: BBC News
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