Hackers Hijack Kyiv Independent Website and Newsletter to Spread False Nuclear Alarm

The Kyiv Independent, one of Ukraine's leading English-language news outlets, said on Wednesday that a suspected Russian cyberattack disrupted its website. The attackers gained access to the system used to manage the site and to a service used to send newsletters. This let them publish false messages and email subscribers in Russian and English.

One email falsely claimed that President Volodymyr Zelensky had launched a nuclear warhead at Kyiv, and urged recipients to seek shelter. Other emails made up claims about a physical attack on Zelensky. Staff quickly removed the messages posted on the website. The outlet attributed the attack to suspected Russian actors based on the content of the messages, but did not provide technical evidence linking the breach to Moscow. Editor-in-Chief Olga Rudenko said it was the first attack of this kind the publication had faced.

The outlet said members' and donors' banking details were not compromised, because payments are handled by secure third-party services. Staff are working with cybersecurity specialists to investigate the breach, find vulnerabilities and prevent further intrusions. The incident came just days after hackers compromised Ukraine's widely used air raid alert app and sent fabricated warnings about nuclear and chemical threats.