In Kyiv, Air Alert app issued false radiation warning — Der Spiegel

In Kyiv, the Air Alert app, which sends air-raid alerts to smartphones, issued a false warning about a radiation hazard late in the evening. Ukrainian authorities said there was no actual radiation threat.

Possible compromise of the app

The Ukrainian Air Force said the app may have been compromised by the enemy. Ukraine’s Center for Strategic Communications attributed the attack to Russia. This was reported by Der Spiegel.

According to the media outlet, sirens also sounded in some regions that evening. Through the app, users mistakenly received notifications about possible attacks involving chemical weapons and the danger of street fighting. Authorities urged citizens not to follow links in Air Alert.

More current news is available on the UA.News Telegram channel Telegram.

The incorrect messages soon disappeared, and the app’s operation was temporarily suspended. At the same time, other public warning systems and civil defense sirens continued to operate.

Reports of an attack in Russia

Shortly after the incident in Ukraine, the authorities of the Russian Federation, the aggressor state, also reported a massive cyberattack on their emergency warning app. According to the state agency TASS, citing Russia’s Ministry of Civil Defense, perpetrators sent false information to the public. The ministry did not name any likely individuals involved, and its warning website was unavailable for some time overnight.

It is currently unknown whether the cyberattacks on the Ukrainian and Russian apps are connected.