A Russian radio station with origins tracing back to the Cold War has reportedly broadcast its first eerie ‘message’ in several months. Experts suggest this may not have been aimed at ‘peaceful purposes.’
UVB-76, commonly referred to as ‘The Buzzer,’ is a Russian shortwave radio station that consistently transmits monotonous tones lasting between one to 1.2 seconds. Occasionally, these signals are broken by mysterious Russian voices, which many believe are linked to the military activities of the nation.
It is suspected that these voices have issued call signs, read out names, and recited sequences of numbers. According to Newsweek, the station has been operational since the 1970s.
Some conspiracy theorists speculate that these communications are connected to the infamous ‘Dead Hand’ system, a Cold War-era mechanism for nuclear weapon control.
Due to this believed connection, the radio station has earned the nickname ‘Doomsday Radio.’ The previous transmission from The Buzzer was in May, featuring the cryptic code ‘NZhTI 89905 BLEFOPUF 4097 5573,’ which was aired just before a discussion between Russia’s Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump.
After months of silence, the Doomsday Radio has made another rare broadcast, repeating the code ‘Nicolai, Zhenya, Tatyana, Ivan’ or ‘NZhTI.’ This was then followed by numbers ‘38, 965, 78, 58, 88, 37,’ along with the names Olga, Tatiana, Elena, Leonid, forming the acronym ‘OTEL.’
The report indicated that the transmission concluded with: ‘Soft sign, 78, 58, 88, 37.’ The purpose of this message remains unclear.
Journalist Chay Bowes commented on the situation, stating: “Russia’s UVB-76 ‘Doomsday Radio’ makes its second cryptic broadcast today. Codewords ‘NZHTI’ and ‘HOTEL’ spelled out for unknown listeners far from the motherland.”
Professor David Stupples, an expert in electronic and radio engineering at City University of London, expressed his belief that the Russian Government is behind the broadcasts. “If it is the Russian government, it wouldn’t be for peaceful purposes,” he told Popular Mechanics magazine, suggesting that the military might be maintaining the station’s activity for potential future use.
He elaborated, “If they don’t actually use it, someone will poach it. They are keeping the channel available by broadcasting and saying ‘this is ours.'”
Ary Boender, a freelance radio monitor from the Netherlands, offered a different perspective. He mentioned that some people speculate the shortwave station could be a ‘homing beacon for UFOs or a mind control device,’ as reported by The Express.
“Some say that it is an old Soviet Dead Man’s Switch that triggers a nuclear attack on the west when it stops buzzing,” Boender shared. Alternate theories suggest the Doomsday radio is a ‘remote control station for the Chernobyl nuclear power plant’—an idea Boender dismisses as ‘nonsense.’
Despite social media buzz following the station’s latest broadcast, there is no concrete evidence that the codes or numbers communicated were significant in any known manner. However, the broadcast coincided with NATO member Poland confirming they had intercepted Russian drones that frequently breached their airspace.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that ‘at least eight strike drones’ targeted Poland, calling the situation an ‘extremely dangerous precedent for Europe,’ according to BBC News.
The unusual Russian broadcast coupled with the drone activity over Poland has led some social media users to discuss the possibility of an impending World War III.
One user noted: “It’s almost like we have been in WWIII for a while now but that 1/4 of the people don’t know, 1/4 don’t care and 40 percent are busy debating about dumb stuff, and 10 percent want the other 90 percent to believe we are not at war all over the place.”
Another questioned: “WWIII is that you?”
“Have been trying to tell and show people that we are already in essence in WWIII,” added another voice in the discussion. “People don’t wanna research and confirm themselves…Meh.. We have been…”