HACKERS BREACH UKRAINE AND RUSSIA ALERT APPS WITH FALSE NUCLEAR WARNINGS

Ukraine's public air raid alert app sent false warnings on Sunday, claiming radiation leaks, chemical attacks and street combat in Kyiv and other areas. Ukraine's air raid alert channel said "unauthorised parties" had breached the app, prompting a temporary suspension of the service, which later resumed. One alert falsely claimed Russia had fired a hypersonic Oreshnik missile, capable of carrying a nuclear warhead, and that a nuclear alert had been declared across Ukraine. Hours later, Russia's Ministry of Emergency Situations said its own app had suffered a separate cyberattack that sent false warnings of nuclear weapons launched against the whole country.

The Ukrainian app is used daily by Ukrainians for warnings of Russian missile and drone strikes. The false posts, written in Russian with spelling errors, referred to a hacking group called Hitcore. Mash, a Russian Telegram channel with ties to the country's security services, said representatives of the group had claimed responsibility for the breach. Ukraine's air force said in a statement: "The air alert app appears to have been subjected to enemy influence. There is no radiation threat! Stay calm and follow our updates on our channel!"

Ukrainian officials issued all-clear messages and said public alerts, including air raid sirens, continued to function properly. In Russia, the false alerts urged people to stock up on three weeks of food and shelter in their cellars. One message reviewed by Reuters made no attempt to sound official, using colloquialisms and expletives and describing Russia as a "swamp." Russia's Ministry of Emergency Situations said the affected app was not one of its main public warning channels but a supplementary source of information.