A mysterious Russian radio station known as UVB-76, or 'Doomsday Radio', has unnerved listeners by broadcasting Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake, a piece historically associated with political crises in Russia.
The station, which typically emits a monotonous buzzing sound, also played an old Soviet song with allegedly altered lyrics celebrating an attack on Kyiv, according to Russian publication RU Life. Muffled voices were heard beneath the music, leading to speculation that the frequency may have been hacked.
Music broadcasts on UVB-76 are extremely rare, occurring only three times in its history, including last year and in February 2022. The recent broadcast has reignited interest among conspiracy theorists, who note that Swan Lake was famously played on loop during the 1991 Soviet coup attempt, symbolising instability and impending change.
Pro-Russian accounts have spread unconfirmed claims that the broadcast signals a major retaliation on Kyiv. The Kremlin has never commented on the station, which has operated on 4625kHz since the Cold War and is believed by many to be used by the Russian military for coded communications.
Earlier this year, UVB-76 broadcast cryptic words like 'Neptune', 'Thymus', 'Foxcloak', and 'Nootabu', and in May, it transmitted the code 'NZhTI 89905 BLEFOPUF 4097 5573' before a call between Putin and Trump. In December, multiple code words were heard, including 'PEPPER SHAKER' and 'TRANSFER', though their meanings remain unknown.
