Hoax emergency alerts warning of nuclear and chemical attacks sent to millions of civilians across Russia and Ukraine.
Russian President Vladimir Putin (Image: Alexander Kazakov/Pool Sputnik K)
Millions of petrified civilians across Russia and Ukraine were warned of nuclear and chemical attacks after major cyberattacks on emergency alert apps.
Terrifying alerts predicting armageddon were sent to mobile phones sparking panic among the populations of the warring neighbours but they turned out to be false alarms.
Hackers are thought to be responsible for bogus announcements which appeared real because they were issued through official warning apps and text messaging services.
The communications warned of air raids, radiation, a chemical threat and street fighting.
The first was received on Ukraine’s air raid app late on Sunday night and read: “Radiation threat declared in Kyiv.”
Ukrainians were incorrectly told a Russian strike was imminent after a suspected cyberattack by Moscow.
Four messages, posted to Kyiv’s Air Alert app, warned of an impending attack by an Oreshnik missile.
The Ukrainian air force claimed it was likely the app had been compromised by Russia around 10 minutes after the alerts.
In a post on Telegram it said: “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!”
Russia subsequently said a “massive cyber-attack” had given attackers the ability to “distribute false information to the public”.
Hackers triggered alarm by warning of a nuclear strike (Image: social media; east2west news)
Across an unsettling seven minutes Ukrainians were bombarded with warnings via the official Air Alert app.
Some 122 fake alerts were issued across the country between 22:47 and 22:54 Kyiv time, most warning of incoming missiles or drones but some stating the threat included radiation, chemical attack, artillery shelling and fighting in the streets of the capital.
Meanwhile, Vladimir Putin’s emergency warning system was also compromised by hackers with Russians sent messages about incoming nuclear warheads.
Alerts appeared on official channels of Russia’s Emergency Situations Ministry in Moscow, St Petersburg and multiple other regions.
Civilians were told to stockpile food for three weeks and hide in their cellars or face being “blown to bits” by bombs in the early hours of the morning.
Identical messages appeared on official emergency channels and the ministry’s mobile app.
Russia possesses the largest nuclear arsenal in the world with an estimated total of between 4,400 to 5,580 warheads.
Official alert systems are crucial for Ukraine – which does not possess any nuclear weapons – because for many it is the first line of civilian defence against Putin’s relentless drone and missile strikes which have pummelled cities since his forces invaded in 2022.
The apps are used to warn people in real time of the threat of air strikes from Moscow.
Ukraine has repeatedly struck Russian oil and gas sites in retaliation for attacks on its energy infrastructure.
Russia has not claimed responsibility for the cyberattack, while Ukraine has blamed the incident on its neighbour.
Putin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said: “One way or another, all electronic resources of our government departments are under constant threat from cyberattack.
“The website of the Russian President suffers from multiple cyberattacks every day. Other departments, too. As technology – including artificial intelligence – develops, the threat from cyberattacks grows. “This obliges all departments to take measures to better protect our digital resources.”
