Ukraine air raid alert app compromised, sending fake nuclear warnings

The alerts included some messages written in Russian, and one carried a link to a Telegram channel apparently owned by a hacker group. Yevhen Baliutov, a cybersecurity expert at Kyiv School of Economics, told the BBC it was clear to him the system was hacked by Russians. He said many Ukrainians clicked the link, potentially exposing them to further disinformation, phishing attempts or data breaches.

Baliutov said the informal language used in the hoax pointed to so-called hacktivist groups, which could be aligned to Moscow or Kyiv but are not formally directed by either government. He said it was also logical that Ukraine would have responded by launching a cyberattack on the Russian emergency alert system, adding that both sides have similar capabilities in cyber warfare.

Sofia Kochmar, 34, a mother of one in Lviv, said she was initially concerned but quickly questioned the alerts. "The first thing I saw was the word 'nuclear' and that made me pretty nervous and scared," she said. "But then the notification mentioned 'street fighting in Kyiv', and I thought, wait, no, that's impossible."

Anastasiia Romanytska, a 29-year-old ballerina in Kyiv, said she does not have the app installed but friends forwarded her the warnings. "My first reaction was, 'Is this some kind of joke?' But then my body reacted as if I was under stress," she said.

Baliutov said the incident illustrated the weakness of a crucial system. "It's very dangerous for Ukraine and for our people," he said. "When millions of people rely on a service, we cannot afford to take shortcuts with security."