A suspected Russian cyberattack recently disrupted the website of **The Kyiv Independent**, one of Ukraine’s leading English-language news outlets, the publication announced on Wednesday. The attackers gained unauthorized access to the outlet’s website management system and a service used for newsletter distribution. This allowed them to publish fabricated messages directly on the website and dispatch malicious emails to subscribers in both Russian and English. One particularly alarming email falsely claimed that Ukrainian President **Volodymyr Zelensky** had launched a nuclear warhead at Kyiv as a “proof of friendship” following a meeting with Russian President **Vladimir Putin**. This message, written in Russian, urged recipients to seek shelter and included the username of an anonymous Telegram channel, designed to amplify the disinformation. Other emails contained fabricated claims about a physical attack on President Zelensky. While the compromised messages were swiftly removed by staff, the incident underscores the persistent threat of information warfare. **The Kyiv Independent** attributed the attack to suspected Russian actors, based on the content and nature of the messages, although specific technical evidence directly linking the breach to Moscow was not provided. “Attacks like these are part of the war we cover every day — an attempt to sow confusion and erode trust,” stated Editor-in-Chief **Olga Rudenko**. She confirmed that this marks the first time the publication has faced an attack of this specific nature. Established in November 2021, **The Kyiv Independent** has rapidly become a crucial source of English-language reporting on Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The outlet reported attracting nearly 3 million monthly readers in 2025, with the majority located outside Ukraine, and boasts over 35,000 paying members who help fund its operations. It also runs an investigative unit dedicated to documenting alleged Russian war crimes. The publication assured its readers that members’ and donors’ banking information was not compromised, as payments are processed through secure third-party services. Chief Operating Officer **Zakhar Protsiuk** confirmed that staff are actively collaborating with cybersecurity specialists to investigate the breach, identify vulnerabilities, and implement measures to prevent future intrusions. “This attack won’t stop us from doing our work,” Protsiuk affirmed. This incident follows closely on the heels of another significant cyber intrusion just days prior, where hackers compromised Ukraine’s widely used air raid alert app. In that attack, fabricated warnings about nuclear and chemical threats and street fighting were disseminated. One fake alert warned of a possible strike involving Russia’s nuclear-capable **Oreshnik** ballistic missile and directed users to a Telegram channel associated with a previously unknown hacking group calling itself **Hitcore Corp**. There is currently no confirmed connection between these two separate incidents.