Key facts
- Zelensky told PBS NewsHour that Ukraine only responds to Russian attacks and confirmed the retaliatory hack.
- Ukraine's Air Alert app sent false nuclear, chemical and street-fighting warnings to users late on November 1.
- Russia's emergencies ministry said its mobile app was hit by a cyberattack that sent fake information to the public.
- Messages on Russia's alert system claimed nuclear warheads had been launched across all regions.
President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed on November 2 that Ukraine carried out a retaliatory hack of Russian systems, one day after Ukraine's own emergency alert system was compromised.
Late on November 1, Ukraine's Air Alert app, which sends citizens updates about incoming strikes, pushed false warnings of nuclear, chemical and street-fighting threats to users across the country. One message, written in Russian, said a nuclear alert was about to sound nationwide and that the Oreshnik was on its way.
In the early hours of November 2, the Air Alert app said operations were gradually being restored while the display of targets was temporarily suspended. Hours after the false warnings reached Ukrainian phones, Russia's air raid alert system showed signs of compromise, with messages telling users that nuclear warheads had been launched across all regions of Russia and advising them to stock food for three weeks and shelter in basements.