A mysterious hum and a terse message broadcast by an old Russian radio station have sparked widespread controversy on social media, coinciding with the escalation of military tension between Moscow and Kyiv, bringing back to mind Cold War tools that are still part of the Russian scene.
This station is known as “Doomsday Radio,” and technically known as (UVB-76) “UVB-76,” a Russian military radio station that is more than 50 years old, and the Russian authorities do not officially recognize it.
Despite this, the station continues to broadcast to this day without programs or news bulletins, contenting itself with a continuous hum and monotonous rustling, sometimes interspersed with short and vague messages.
The station was founded in the mid-1970s as part of an emergency communications system dedicated to the most dangerous military scenarios, and is considered part of the secret strategic communications system in Russia, which has earned it international fame and titles such as “The Buzzer” and “Doomsday Radio.”
In the past few days, the station’s name has resurfaced strongly, after broadcasting Tchaikovsky’s “Swan Lake” music, after the announcement of the thwarting of a Ukrainian drone attack targeting one of the headquarters of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
This musical piece is associated with deep symbolic meanings in Russian consciousness, as it has been historically broadcast in pivotal moments and major crises, including the failed coup against Mikhail Gorbachev in 1991, as well as after the death of a number of Soviet Union leaders, most notably Leonid Brezhnev in 1982, making it an unofficial indicator of moments of turmoil or preparation for fateful decisions.
According to followers, the last message broadcast by the station came 20 minutes after the beginning of 2026, when the word “Glotaniye,” which means “swallowing” in Russian, was picked up, which increased the ambiguity and speculation about the timing and meaning of the message.
