Hackers blast Kyiv Independent with false Russian-language alerts

A cyberattack targeted The Kyiv Independent, with attackers sending false news alerts to readers in Russian and later in English.

The incident began on the night of November 3, when unidentified users accessed the outlet's content management system and a mailing service. They used this access to push a newsletter to the subscriber base and post similar content directly on the website. Editor-in-Chief Olha Rudenko stated the attack likely originated from Russia. The false messages included a claim that President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was shot at the Russian border. Rudenko noted that the content resembled alerts sent when Ukraine's official air-raid warning application was hacked three days prior, though she could not confirm a shared source.

The team responded to the first wave by deleting the unauthorized posts, emailing subscribers an explanation, and closing the identified vulnerability overnight. A second wave began on the afternoon of November 4. This time, the attackers sent emails in both Russian and English. Rudenko said her team is fully engaged in closing all possible vulnerabilities as quickly as possible.

Rudenko confirmed that financial information for supporters, including donor bank details, remains safe. She added that there is no reason to believe the hackers accessed systems other than the CMS and mailing service, although checks continue. This is the first such breach in the publication's nearly five years of operation. The attack follows a string of similar cyber incidents in recent days. On the evening of November 1, Ukraine's Air Alarm application was hacked to display Russian-language alerts about radiation and chemical hazards. On the night of November 1 to 2, unknown individuals hacked the mobile app of the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations, sending warnings about a nuclear threat to the public.