Belgorod investigates fake emergency SMS

The governor of Russia's Belgorod region has announced that a technical failure was responsible for the distribution of fake SMS alerts purportedly from the Unified State System for Prevention and Elimination of Emergencies (RSChS). The messages, which included the governor's full name, were sent to residents, prompting an investigation. Authorities have now concluded the incident was due to a system malfunction rather than malicious intent.