Hackers hit Russian and Ukrainian emergency alert apps with false radiation and chemical warnings

The war between Russia and Ukraine is no longer confined to the battlefield. It has reached a serious turn in the digital and cyber domain as well. Even as efforts continue to find routes to high-level diplomatic and humanitarian talks between the two countries, major cyberattacks have been reported on the national emergency alert systems of both.

The hacking caused false chemical, radiological and nuclear attack alerts to appear suddenly on people's mobile phones, spreading widespread panic among ordinary people in both countries.

According to Ukraine's administration, the official Air Raid Alert app, which warns citizens across the country of air strikes in advance, was hacked by the enemy. Emergency alerts warning of a "Radiation Threat" and a "possible chemical attack" then flashed on the phones of millions of Ukrainians in Kyiv and surrounding areas. Disturbing messages were also broadcast for some time through the loudspeaker system installed on Kyiv's streets, causing confusion on the roads.

The Ukrainian Air Force immediately clarified the matter on its official Telegram channel. It said: "The air alert app's system has been tampered with through outside interference. No radiation or chemical danger of any kind has arisen in the country. Citizens should not fall prey to any rumours and should not panic." Ukraine's Ministry of Digital Transformation, meanwhile, said in a post on X (Twitter) that the main national alert system was safe and functioning normally as before.

A similar incident occurred on the Russian side. A major cyberattack was carried out at the same time on the mobile application of Russia's Ministry of Emergency Situations. Hackers misused the government app to send Russian citizens false and misleading information about a possible security threat. The Russian administration has taken serious note of the incident and has begun work swiftly to fix the flaws in the system and trace where the hacking originated.

Against the backdrop of these cyberattacks, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy also made an important statement. He appealed to US President Donald Trump to mediate. He said the ongoing conflict is having a serious effect on the global energy market and on fuel prices. Referring to an interview, Zelenskyy said the US President should take the initiative to bring about an "Energy Ceasefire" between the two countries, keeping these global consequences in mind. That would at least stop attacks on energy infrastructure.

These events show that future wars are fought not only with missiles but also by breaking citizens' morale through digital information. Security agencies on both sides are currently strengthening their cyber grids.