Residents of Kyiv received false emergency warnings of an imminent nuclear strike after unknown hackers interfered with Ukraine’s nationwide emergency alert mobile app, prompting fear and confusion late on Sunday.
The app issued a warning about a high possibility of nuclear radiation shortly before 11pm local time. It also falsely warned of a chemical threat to the Ukrainian capital and street-to-street fighting.
The messages appeared in Ukrainian and English, with spelling mistakes. A separate warning written in Russian claimed Ukraine was about to be struck by Oreshnik missiles, which can carry nuclear warheads.
Some residents ignored the notifications, suspecting the app had been compromised, while others were frightened by the warnings.
“I was briefly terrified,” one Kyiv resident, identified as Nina, said. “I lay on my bed and wondered what was coming.”
Emergency app confirms unauthorised interference
In a statement on Sunday, the Ukrainian emergency app said “unauthorised parties” had interfered with its operation.
The service was temporarily suspended, and users were warned not to click on links contained in suspicious notifications.
It remained unclear on Monday who was behind the incident or what their motives were.
Russian officials also claimed that hackers had sent fake emergency alerts in Russia after accessing the emergency ministry’s app in Moscow.
A post mentioned the hacking group Hitcore. Russian Telegram channel Mash, which has links to the security services, reported that it had spoken to representatives of the group, who allegedly claimed responsibility. However, the claim could not be independently verified.
Russian attacks resume in Kherson after ceasefire
The false nuclear warnings came as Russia resumed attacks on the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson, hours after a local ceasefire expired.
The six-day truce had allowed hundreds of people to be evacuated from the nearby Russian-controlled town of Oleshky, across the Dnipro River.
Kherson’s military administration said a Russian drone struck a hospital at 7.40am. Video footage showed damaged rooms, shattered windows and debris scattered outside. Officials said nobody was injured.
There were also reports that Russian forces had used the ceasefire to strengthen their positions in Oleshky and bring in additional troops.
Footage shared with Sky News reportedly showed Russian soldiers deploying heavy military equipment, delivering ammunition and carrying large bags into damaged buildings and basements. Armoured vehicles were also spotted moving through the town.
Oleshky is around three miles from Kherson, on the opposite bank of the Dnipro River. Before the truce, Russian resupply operations had been difficult because of the threat posed by Ukrainian kamikaze drones.
Both sides describe ceasefire as successful
The ceasefire expired at 11pm on Sunday. Both sides described the local pause in fighting as a success, with the evacuation operation representing the most significant such arrangement since 2022.
Ukraine’s ombudsman, Dmytro Lubinets, who visited Oleshky to coordinate the mission, said the arrangement could be repeated in other parts of the frontline.
However, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on Monday that there were no plans for another ceasefire elsewhere.
He described the regrouping of military units during such pauses as standard practice, adding that he assumed Ukrainian forces had done the same.
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