Russia’s mysterious shortwave radio station UVB-76, widely known as Russia’s “Doomsday Radio” or “The Buzzer,” has sparked fresh global speculation after it unexpectedly began broadcasting music from Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake. The eerie transmission emerged amid heightened tensions, following Kremlin threats of retaliation over an alleged drone attack on one of President Vladimir Putin’s residences, a claim Ukraine has firmly denied, with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy calling the allegations “Russian lies.”
Music from Swan Lake was broadcast on UVB-76, the radio station known as Russia’s “Doomsday Radio.”Several hours after the Kremlin vowed retaliation over an alleged assassination attempt on Putin, a claim made by Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov accusing Ukraine, the so-called… pic.twitter.com/7yTnEUDfQm
— Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24) December 30, 2025
Listeners reported that alongside Swan Lake, the broadcast also included an old Soviet-era song, allegedly with altered lyrics celebrating an attack on Kyiv, according to Russian outlet RU Life. While music has occasionally aired on UVB-76, such events are extremely rare and historically loaded with symbolism.
In Russian political history, Swan Lake carries a powerful meaning. The ballet was repeatedly broadcast on state television during moments of national crisis, most notably during the failed 1991 coup against Mikhail Gorbachev, as well as during the deaths of Soviet leaders in the 1980s. Over time, it became a cultural shorthand for political instability, leadership vacuums, and the end of an era.
Pro-Russia social media accounts have circulated unverified claims suggesting the broadcast signals a major retaliation against Kyiv. However, Russian authorities have issued no official clarification linking the transmission to current events.
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What Is Russia’s ‘Doomsday Radio’?
Since the end of the Cold War, UVB-76 has been transmitting monotonous buzzing sounds on 4625 kHz. Every few seconds, day and night, the station produces monotonous, harsh tones. It was mostly of interest to shortwave radio enthusiasts for decades.
Although many experts think the station is run by the Russian military and used to send coded communications, the Kremlin has never publicly acknowledged it. Its actual purpose is still unknown despite widespread monitoring and logging by enthusiasts across the globe.
Past Incidents Linked to the Doomsday Radio
The station’s recent activity is not without precedent. In February 2022 and again last year, UVB-76 reportedly played music, deviations that reignited conspiracy theories. In December 2024, the station broadcast 24 coded messages in a single day, an unprecedented spike, featuring words such as “Hunhuz,” “ABC,” and “nanayka.”
In May 2025, the station aired the cryptic sequence “NZhTI 89905 BLEFOPUF 4097 5573” shortly before a phone call between Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump. More recently, on December 17, UVB-76 played the song I Am Russian by Shaman, followed by Swan Lake and the Soviet anthem, a sequence that intensified speculation due to its historical symbolism.
While analysts stress there is no confirmed evidence that these broadcasts signal imminent action, the timing of Swan Lake, so soon after Kremlin threats, has reignited fears and fascination alike.
