In brief: President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed in an interview with PBS NewsHour that Ukraine retaliated against a Russian cyberattack on its air raid alert system by hacking Russia’s emergency warning app. The initial attack spread false nuclear and chemical threat alerts across Ukraine.
President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed Monday, Nov. 2, that Ukraine retaliated against Russia with a cyberattack targeting its emergency warning system after hackers compromised Ukraine’s widely used air raid alert app, sending false warnings of nuclear and chemical threats.
Speaking in an interview with PBS NewsHour, Zelensky said Russia was behind the initial cyberattack targeting an application millions of Ukrainians rely on for warnings of incoming Russian missiles and drones.
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“They attacked our system. It was a cyberattack, one of the hundreds and thousands of those made by Russia before,” Zelensky said.
He accused Moscow of repeatedly targeting civilian digital infrastructure, including banking services, pension systems and social support networks, in an effort to spread fear and confusion among Ukrainians.
“They want each day to make chaos in Ukraine, in all our cities,” he said.
Asked whether Ukraine had responded by hacking Russia’s emergency mobile application, Zelensky confirmed the retaliation.
“Yeah, absolutely. We just responded on the attack,” he said.
Fake nuclear and chemical warnings spread across Ukraine
The cyberattack against Ukraine’s Air Alert app began late Sunday, Nov. 1, when users in Kyiv and other regions received alarming notifications warning of radiation hazards, chemical attacks and street fighting.
One message falsely claimed Russia had launched an Oreshnik ballistic missile, a weapon capable of carrying a nuclear warhead.
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Ukraine’s Air Force quickly dismissed the notifications, warning that the application appeared to have been compromised through hostile interference.
“There is no radiation threat!” the Air Force said, urging Ukrainians to remain calm and follow official updates.
The developers temporarily suspended the affected service and warned users against opening links included in suspicious notifications.
Ukraine’s military authorities said the breach did not affect the Armed Forces’ command systems or their ability to monitor and communicate genuine aerial threats.
As Kyiv Post previously reported, Russia’s Emergency Situations Ministry subsequently reported a similar cyberattack on its own mobile application.
Russian users received false notifications claiming nuclear warheads had been launched toward regions across the country, with some messages urging residents to stockpile food and seek shelter.
The ministry acknowledged that hackers had exploited the application to distribute false information, while maintaining that Russia’s principal emergency warning infrastructure remained operational.
During the PBS interview, Zelensky emphasized that Ukraine’s cyber operation was a direct response to Russia’s attack on a vital civilian warning system that helps protect Ukrainians from missile and drone strikes.
“We only respond on their attacks,” he said, adding that Ukrainian intelligence and other personnel had identified the initial intrusion as a Russian operation.
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