Russians flee to shelter amid fears of 'imminent Ukraine nuclear strike'
Bus passengers in Moscow were ordered to take cover in bomb shelters over warnings of a 'nuclear bombardment' from Ukraine.
A video filmed in Russia's capital earlier today captured the moment an alert was broadcast over the bus intercom system.
The announcement said: 'Attention, attention! Ukraine is threatening us with a nuclear bombardment.
'I repeat! Attention, attention! Ukraine is threatening us with a nuclear bombardment!
'Everyone to the shelters! Attention! Attention! Ukraine is threatening us with a nuclear bombardment!'
But transport officials in Moscow say the alert was broadcast by hackers, who have not yet been identified.
The video was filmed on board a 191 service to Grachevskaya station which is run by the Transavtoliz company, which operates hundreds of services.
It's not yet known how many bus intercoms were hacked and played the fake warning.
Authorities rushed to reassure passengers that they did not need to go to a bomb shelter, and that the threat was false.
A Moscow transport spokesman said: 'Audio messages that did not correspond to reality were played in the buses.
'Currently, specialists are checking the network infrastructure and eliminating the consequences of unauthorised access.'
Unlike Russia, Ukraine does not have any nuclear weapons, having given up its arsenal in the 1990s as part of the Budapest Memorandum on Security Assurances.
The memorandum saw Ukraine give up its nuclear weapons in exchange for guarantees from Russia, the US and the UK to respect Ukraine's sovereignty and borders.
It comes as US president Donald Trump prepares to meet with Russian president Vladimir Putin to discuss the ongoing war with Ukraine and try to negotiate an end to the conflict. More Trending
They will not be meeting alongside Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky, despite Trump's comments suggesting otherwise.
Relations between the US and Russian presidents are fraught, with a Putin stooge warning Trump has made 'another step towards war with Russia' and Trump responding by moving US nuclear submarines.
Ukraine stepped up its strikes against Russia this year, causing chaos at Moscow's airports and destroying warplanes.
But with the death toll of both soldiers and civilians creeping higher, Mr Zelensky is still calling for a ceasefire in order to bring about a 'just peace'.
Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.
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