A representative of the Nova Kakhovka administration walks past an unexploded Russian FPV drone during a localized ceasefire linked to a humanitarian aid mission to Oleshky, in the village of Kozatske, Kherson region, Ukraine, Saturday, Oct. 31, 2026. (AP Photo)
Authorities in both Ukraine and Russia say that their emergency alert mobile applications were targeted by cyberattacks, with residents in Ukraine receiving messages that there was a high nuclear radiation danger in the capital Kiev.
In a post late on Nov. 1 on Telegram, Ukraine’s air raid alert channel wrote that “unauthorized parties” had interfered with the messaging app’s operation, and that it had been temporarily suspended.
Authorities in Ukraine said the app, which Ukrainians rely on to seek safety amid daily Russian missile and drone strikes, was restored overnight. The alerts — making false claims of high radiation levels, a chemical threat and public disturbances in Kiev — were written in English with spelling mistakes and grammatical errors as well as in a mix of Russian and Ukrainian.
One of the false posts mentioned the hacking group Hitcore. Mash, a Russian Telegram channel with links to the security services, said it had spoken to representatives of Hitcore and that they had claimed responsibility for the attack. That claim could not be independently verified.
Russian officials said on Nov. 2 that hackers had sent fake emergency alerts after gaining access to the mobile app for Russia’s Emergency Ministry.
The ministry did not name who carried out the attack. In a statement, it reassured Russians that the wider public alert system was working normally.
