--- title: "False nuclear alert on phones: hackers hit Ukraine and Russia" url: https://techranking.gr/en/news/false-nuclear-alert-on-phones-hackers-hit-ukraine-and-russia/ language: en published: 2026-11-04T01:18:45.997Z updated: 2026-11-04T02:09:13.701Z site: "TechRanking" section: "Smartphones" --- # False nuclear alert on phones: hackers hit Ukraine and Russia On Sunday, hackers sent false alerts about radiation and Oreshnik missiles through Ukraine's air raid warning app. A similar incident followed in Russia. > Written with AI from the sources listed below. Editorial responsibility: Konstantinos Perros. How we write: https://techranking.gr/en/how-we-write/ ## Key facts - Ukraine's air raid warning app sent false alerts about radiation, a chemical attack and street fighting in Kyiv on Sunday evening. [2] [1] - The first false alerts appeared at around 22:47 local time, according to the BBC as relayed by in.gr. [2] - Ukraine's Ministry of Digital Transformation said that the other means of informing the public and the air raid sirens were working normally. [2] - In the early hours of Monday, the app of Russia's Ministry of Emergency Situations came under a mass cyberattack, as reported by TASS. [2] [1] - The Russian-speaking group Hitcore claimed responsibility on Telegram, according to Techgear.gr, while Ukrainian authorities remain cautious. [1] ## What users in Ukraine received Sunday evening became a source of anxiety for many residents of Kyiv. The state app that warns of air raids began sending alerts that did not correspond to any real threat. Ukraine's air force announced that the alarms spoke of radiation, chemical attacks and fighting in the streets of the capital and other regions. The BBC, as relayed by in.gr, provides the timeline. At around 22:47 local time, which is also Greek time, a red alert appeared across the country. It was followed by a warning of a radiation hazard in Kyiv. At 22:48 a message arrived in Russian about a nuclear alert and the Oreshnik "flying". At 22:49 alerts arrived about a chemical threat and street fighting. At 23:53 all-clear messages were sent for every supposed threat. One of the messages referred to the Oreshnik ballistic missile. In.gr, citing Reuters, describes it as a new Russian missile that carries conventional or nuclear warheads and that Ukrainian air defences supposedly cannot shoot down. Techgear.gr writes that the messages reached millions of users and that tens of thousands of people rushed to shelters. Only this source reports that detail. The air force gave public explanations on Telegram. It wrote that the app "appears to have been subjected to hostile interference" and urged people to stay calm, assuring them that "There is no radiation danger!" ## The authorities' reaction and the hit on Russia Ukraine's Ministry of Digital Transformation said the app was out of service. The other means of alerting the public and the sirens were working normally, as in.gr reports. Techgear.gr adds that the ministry suspended the software and advised citizens to ignore the messages and not to click on links, as they could lead to phishing pages, that is, pages that trap personal data. The malfunction was later fixed, in.gr notes. A few hours later, the problem appeared in Russia as well. TASS reported, citing Russia's Ministry of Emergency Situations, that its mobile app came under a mass attack in the early hours of Monday and spread false information. Techgear.gr writes that Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed the attacks. According to the same source, Peskov said Russian services are under constant digital pressure, with artificial intelligence tools searching for weaknesses in the code. The BBC, as quoted by in.gr, writes that a Ukrainian cyber-espionage group claimed that false warnings of nuclear strikes were sent in Russia. Little else is known about these alerts. ## Who is responsible and what the case teaches The sources do not agree on everything. Techgear.gr reports that the Russian-speaking group Hitcore claimed responsibility through Telegram channels. Ukrainian authorities, it writes, remain cautious about the identity of the perpetrators. In.gr notes that it was not immediately clear whether the two incidents are connected and that it was not confirmed whether Russia suffered Ukrainian retaliation. According to the BBC, Ukrainian MP Oleksandr Merezhko neither confirmed nor denied that Ukraine is behind the attack on Russia. He said, however, that he considers it likely that Russia is responsible for the hit on the Ukrainian app, since the warnings were written in Russian and not in Ukrainian. Techgear.gr speaks of the attackers gaining access to the backend API keys, that is, the app's central system. This allowed them to send push notifications en masse. The messages were in Ukrainian, English and Russian and contained obvious errors. For readers in Greece, Techgear.gr points out that the Greek 112 relies on Cell Broadcast. This technology needs no internet or app. It sends the message from the antennas to all devices in the area. According to the same source, such an attack from another country would be almost technically impossible. ## Questions and answers **Was the alert in Kyiv real?** No. Ukraine's air force said there is no radiation danger and that the app was subjected to hostile interference. **Who claimed responsibility for the attack?** Techgear.gr reports that the Russian-speaking group Hitcore claimed responsibility on Telegram. Ukrainian authorities remain cautious about identifying the perpetrators. **Was Russia also affected?** Yes. TASS reported that the app of Russia's Ministry of Emergency Situations came under a mass cyberattack in the early hours of Monday. ## Sources 1. Techgear.gr: [Hackers παραβίασαν εφαρμογές συναγερμού σε Κίεβο και Μόσχα - Έστειλαν μηνύματα για πυρηνικά χτυπήματα](https://www.techgear.gr/hackers-paraviasan-efarmoges-synagermoy-se-kievo-kai-moscha-esteilan-minymata-gia-pyrinika-chtypimata-51169) 2. in.gr: [Κυβερνοεπίθεση αναστάτωσε την Ουκρανία με προειδοποιήσεις για πυρηνικές και χημικές επιθέσεις](https://www.in.gr/2026/11/02/world/kyvernoepithesi-anastatose-tin-oukrania-me-proeidopoiiseis-gia-pyrinikes-kai-ximikes-epitheseis-akolouthisan-pseydeis-synagermoi-sti-rosia)