Volodymyr Zelenskyy says Ukraine compromised Russia’s air warning system in retaliation

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Monday that Ukraine had launched a cyberattack against Russia’s air raid warning system in response to a cyberattack on Ukraine’s population alert app.

In an interview with the American broadcaster PBS, Zelenskyy claimed that Russia had attacked the Ukrainian app and that authorities in Kyiv had responded defensively. “We are only responding to their attacks,” the Ukrainian president said.

The Ukrainian app was hacked late Sunday evening, and users received false warnings on their phones, including messages about alleged nuclear attacks. A few hours later, on Monday morning, the app used by Russia’s civil protection agency was also compromised and transmitted false alerts.

Zelenskyy accused Russia of repeatedly carrying out cyberattacks against important Ukrainian infrastructure, including banks and the pension system, with the aim of affecting the civilian population. The two apps inform residents about possible air raids and other threats. The statements regarding the perpetrators of the attacks have not been independently confirmed.