Ukraine and Russia have reported cyberattacks on public warning apps as a temporary ceasefire in the eastern Kherson region ended. Ukraine said false radiation alerts appeared on its air raid application, while Russia’s emergencies ministry said hackers sent false information through its warning app.
Ukraine’s air force said the alert app had probably suffered hostile interference and stressed that there was no radiation threat. Air force spokesman Yuriy Ignat later confirmed to AFP that the application had been hacked.
Both countries report false alerts
Russia’s emergencies ministry said on Monday that its teams were working to address what it called a “massive cyberattack.” The ministry said the incident allowed attackers to send false information to the public through an app used to warn of incoming drone attacks and other threats.
Moscow did not immediately identify who it believed was responsible. Ukraine’s Centre for Strategic Communications, known as SPRAVDI, blamed Russia for the attack on Ukraine’s system.
The reports came as the ceasefire ended on Sunday. Ukraine’s Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights, Dmytro Lubinets, said the truce had been in effect from 27 October to 1 November. He described it as an important step in joint humanitarian efforts.
Kherson truce enabled a humanitarian mission
The pause in fighting was limited to Ukraine’s eastern Kherson region and had been brokered by US First Lady Melania Trump. It enabled a humanitarian mission to Oleshky, a city under Russian occupation. Kyiv said Russia declined an offer to extend the ceasefire.
Kherson regional governor Oleksandr Prokudin urged residents to remain vigilant after the truce ended and respond promptly to warnings about Russian attacks. Ukraine’s energy ministry also reported new power outages across the country on Sunday, including in Kyiv, following Russian strikes on energy infrastructure.
Energy strikes continue as talks are expected
Russia and Ukraine exchanged strikes on Sunday. Moscow said a drone hit an industrial enterprise east of Moscow overnight. Ukrainian media reported that Kyiv had attacked the Kstovo oil refinery.
Ukraine has repeatedly targeted Russian oil and gas facilities, describing the strikes as retaliation for attacks on its energy infrastructure. US President Donald Trump has pressed Kyiv to stop hitting Russian refineries. He has linked the attacks to rising diesel costs, which analysts cited in the report attribute to the war in Iran.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Fox News that Ukraine would stop attacking Russian refineries if Russia stopped striking Ukraine’s energy system. He also offered another option: the United States could provide Kyiv with Patriot interceptor missiles.
US-mediated talks between Russia and Ukraine are expected to resume this month. They have been effectively frozen since the United States and Israel launched joint strikes on Iran in February.
Clayton Ward 
Nicole French