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Russia’s UVB-76 ‘Buzzer’ Airs Swan Lake in Unusual Transmission

Officials have offered no explanation for the rare music broadcast.

Overview

  • Recordings also captured an old Soviet song with lyrics Russian outlet RU Life claimed were altered to celebrate an attack on Kyiv, a claim that has not been verified.
  • Listeners heard the station’s usual buzzing and muffled voices under the music, prompting speculation of hacking or technical interference.
  • The clips spread widely on social media as the Kremlin warned of retaliation over a reported drone strike on a Putin residence, which Ukraine denied and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy labeled “Russian lies.”
  • UVB-76, a Cold War–era shortwave signal on 4625 kHz, has never been publicly explained by Russian authorities and is commonly believed to carry coded military communications.
  • Earlier in 2025 the station issued multiple code words and, in May, an alphanumeric sequence shortly before a PutinDonald Trump phone call, with additional code words logged on December 8 and 10.