Fake nuclear alerts, deadly strikes: Tensions rise in Russia-Ukraine war
Around 20 people were still missing, raising fears that the death toll could climb further. Russia’s emergency situations ministry said a fake alert was sent through its app at around 2:45 am Moscow time across 33 of the country’s 89 regions.
The attack hit the village of Komyshuvakha, where two rescue workers and four police officers were among those killed, according to emergency services. Rescue teams searching the rubble were also forced to deal with fresh Russian drone attacks in the area, military official Mykhailo Semikin told news agency Associated Press. Officials later said the service had been restored and that the breach had not affected the country’s security and defence operations. It said other public warning systems, including SMS alerts and sirens, continued to function.
Five others, including two rescue workers, were hospitalised. Separately, cyberattacks on government-run mobile applications in Ukraine and Russia triggered fake emergency alerts in both countries. The alerts, circulated in English, Russian and Ukrainian, prompted authorities to temporarily suspend Ukraine’s emergency app.