False alarm in Kyiv after hacker attack on warning app

War against Ukraine False alarm in Kiev after hacker attack on warning app As of: November 2nd, 2026 • 7:35 a.m

Ukraine uses an app to warn the population about attacks. But there is now a problem: the app was hacked, and in Kiev there was a false warning about the “danger of radiation”. Russia also reports an attack on its warning app.

In Ukraine and Russia, numerous people were incorrectly warned about alleged attacks. The reason for this was apparently hacker attacks on the warning apps to protect the civilian population.

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The Ukrainian Air Force confirmed the hacker attack and spoke of “hostile interference” with the air alert app “Air Alert”. An Air Force spokesman confirmed to the AFP news agency that the app had been hacked. The Ukrainian Center for Strategic Communications blamed Russia for the attack on the app.

The Russian Emergencies Ministry also reported a massive cyber attack on its warning app, as the state news agency Tass reported. The attackers managed to send false information to the population, it said. The Russian authorities did not provide any information about who they suspected was behind the attack. The Ministry of Warnings website was temporarily unavailable during the night. Work is underway to repair the damage.

The chronological sequence of events at least suggested that it could have been a counterattack by Kiev after the attack on the Ukrainian system.

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In Kyiv, the population was falsely warned of a “danger from radiation”. The Ukrainian Center for Combating Misinformation said the information disseminated on the app did not reflect the real level of danger. The population should remain “calm”.

According to media reports, warning sirens also sounded in some regions late on Sunday evening. The incorrect displays disappeared again a short time later. The app is temporarily out of service, the Ukrainian Ministry of Digital Transformation said.

Air strikes - and the necessary regional warnings about them - have long been part of everyday life for the people of Ukraine after four and a half years of war. During major attacks on Kiev, people often seek shelter in subway stations. The population in affected areas often only has a few minutes to get to safety.

Before the end of the ceasefire, the Ukrainian military brought more people from the region to safety. more

The cyber attacks happened at a time after Ukraine and Russia had drawn closer ties with the US. There was a six-day ceasefire in the embattled Ukrainian town of Oleshky, which both sides adhered to. Many of the approximately 2,000 residents were able to get to safety. It was the longest ceasefire since the war began in February 2022.

Ukrainian human rights commissioner Dmytro Lubinets said the ceasefire was an "important step in our joint humanitarian efforts." Lubinez explained that he is now working with the Russian human rights commissioner Jana Lantratova on further humanitarian initiatives.

This topic in the program: The First | daily news | 11/02/2026 | 6:30 a.m