Ukraine’s Air Force said on Nov. 1 that the Air Alert app may have faced hostile interference after false hazard notices in Kharkiv and reports of similar alerts in Kyiv, while denying any radiation threat.
Kharkiv users received notices about street fighting, radiation and chemical danger, public broadcaster Suspilne reported. It also reported similar alerts in Kyiv.
Bohdan Hladkykh, director of Kharkiv’s emergency situations department, told Suspilne the radiation and chemical warnings were false and an app hack was a likely cause. He said the city’s street warning system was functioning as usual and would activate if a real emergency arose.
The Kyiv Independent reported that sirens sounded in locations nationwide, including Zakarpattia Oblast.
The official Air Alert website says the app carries air, chemical, technological and other civil-defense warnings. Users select an oblast, district or local community for notifications, which the service says can arrive even when a phone is set to silent.
