Putin's mystery ‘doomsday radio station' sparks into life around Kremlin's Trump call – transmitting cryptic ‘nuke' code
It marks the second time year that the Soviet-era relic creaked into action
Advertisement
6
Putin speaking after his call with president Trump
Credit: East2West
6
Vladimir Putin continued to strike Ukraine with Shahed kamikaze drones after his call with Trump
Credit: East2West
6
Russia's UVB-76 broadcast cryptic messages around the time of Vladimir Putin's phone talks with Donald Trump.
Credit: East2West
6
Just ahead of the White House's call to Putin, the UVB-76 radio station broadcast the sinister code NZhTI 89905 BLEFOPUF 4097 5573.
This was followed up a few hours later with NZhTI 01263 BOLTANKA 4430 9529.
Known variously known as Buzzer, Dead Hand Radio or Judgement Day Radio,
It operates around the clock making a strange buzzing sound, but it sometimes sends out cryptic messages.
Advertisement
read more in world news
It is unknown what these messages actually mean, but the station is widely assumed to have a military purpose - with possible links to Moscow's nuclear forces.
Back in April, the radio broadcast four words -
Neptune, Thymus, Foxcloak, and Nootabu, according to Telegram channel
, which monitors its activity.
Following his call with Putin, Donald Trump posted that talks "will immediately start negotiations toward a Ceasefire and, more importantly, an END to the War."
He also
Leo
XIV met with Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky following his inaugural mass at St
Peter
's Square.
Advertisement
Most read in The US Sun
But while the Russian dictator called his discussion with Trump "frank and very useful", Moscow's forces went on the attack shortly afterwards.
More than 108 drones were fired at Ukraine, according to Kyiv's air force.
Vladimir Putin expands nuclear missile base after test at frozen site killed five in horror radiation leak disaster
One struck a civilian minibus in Ukraine's Kherson region, wounding a woman aged 65.
Kamikaze drones also hit Dnipropetrovsk, triggering a major fire in Synelnykovsky district, while others struck Nikopol, Pokrovska, Myrivska and Marhanetska.
Advertisement
Some 56,000 residents of the Ukrainian border region Sumy have been forced to evacuate over fears of Russian attacks.
Trump had previously pledged to end the war in
Ukraine
in 24 hours upon assuming office.
But concern appears to be mounting in European capitals that Trump had failed to publicly threaten Putin with harsh sanctions for failing to swiftly agree a ceasefire as a prelude to peace talks.
The previous aim had been a 30-day ceasefire, although Trump appeared not to impose a timescale.
Advertisement
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said: "Europe will increase pressure on Moscow with sanctions.
"We agreed on this with US President
Donald Trump
after his conversation with Putin."
The wild conspiracy theories about the UVB-76
THE Russian radio station UVB-76, also known as "The Buzzer,
Some of them include:
Spy Communications:
One of the most prevalent theories is that UVB-76 is used by Russian intelligence agencies to communicate with spies. The repetitive buzzing sound could be a marker to keep the frequency occupied, with occasional voice messages being coded instructions for undercover operatives.
Nuclear Dead Man's Switch:
Another theory proposes that UVB-76 is part of a "dead man's switch" system, which could automatically trigger a nuclear response if the station were to go offline. This would act as a deterrent, ensuring a retaliatory strike even if command and control were destroyed.
Mind Control Experiments:
Some believe that the station is involved in psychological operations or mind control experiments. The strange buzzing and periodic voice messages are thought to be part of an attempt to influence or control the minds of listeners, either broadly or specifically targeted individuals.
Time Travel & Parallel Universes
: Among the more outlandish theories is the idea that UVB-76 is a tool for communicating with time travelers or accessing parallel universes. The station's mysterious and seemingly nonsensical broadcasts are interpreted as messages from other times or dimensions.
Alien Communications
: A more fringe theory suggests that UVB-76 is a communication link with extraterrestrial beings. The unusual sounds and sporadic messages are believed by some to be attempts at communicating with or receiving messages from aliens.
Scientific Experiments
: There is also speculation that the station is part of scientific research, possibly related to ionospheric studies or weather modification. The consistent signal might be used to study atmospheric conditions or to experiment with weather control technologies.
Trump hinted in his Truth Social post that some sort of trade deal between Russia and the United States could come when the war is over.
But Zelensky has warned that Putin is set to "drag out the war".
Advertisement
He said: "If the Russians are not ready to stop the killings, there must be stronger sanctions for that.
"Pressure on
Russia
will encourage it to make real peace - this is obvious to everyone in the world.
"If Putin puts forward unrealistic conditions, then this will mean that
Russia
continues to drag out the war and deserves that Europe, America and the whole world behave accordingly, including responding with additional sanctions.
"Russia must end the war that it started, and it can do so any day.
Ukraine
is always ready for peace."
Advertisement
6
Russian struck Sumy region in drone strikes overnight following Vladimir Putin's telephone talks on a ceasefire with Donald Trump
Credit: East2West
6
Vladimir Putin following his call with Trump
Credit: East2West
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Irish Examiner
12 minutes ago
- Irish Examiner
The cards are stacked against Ukraine — and against Europe
The most revealing moment in US president Donald Trump's White House meeting with European leaders came during a 'hot mic' moment when Trump was overheard discussing his relationship with Russian president Vladimir Putin. 'I think he [Putin] wants to make a deal for me, you understand that? As crazy as it sounds,' he whispered to French president Emmanuel Macron. The idea that Putin is beholden to Trump, that some sense of personal magnetism or obligation to the American president is pushing him towards a deal that will end the conflict in Ukraine is indeed crazy. Putin has earned his reputation as a cold and vicious thug, solely interested in his own goals and unmoved by sentiment. Yet Trump has often spoken of his admiration for Putin. The latter has repeatedly broken Trump's red lines on Ukraine, refusing to agree to a preliminary ceasefire before talks, and even escalating Russia's military offensive in the immediate aftermath of calls with the US president. Trump has threatened to impose more sanctions, but ultimately always backed down. Last week in Alaska, Trump described his relationship with Putin as 'fantastic'. Picture: AP /Julia Demaree Nikhinson Last week in Alaska, Trump described his relationship with Putin as "fantastic", even though he had threatened to impose sanctions if Putin did not offer concessions as a starting point to ending the war in Ukraine — none were forthcoming. The bromance is decidedly lopsided. Trump also has an outsized view of Russia's strength, telling journalists that only his intervention had prevented the Russian military from achieving victory in Ukraine. This overlooks Ukrainian successes in pushing back the Russian offensive in 2022 and the more than one million casualties, killed and wounded, inflicted on the Russian military since the start of the war. Russia, with an ageing population, a rusting and hydrocarbons-dependent economy, is not the Soviet Union of the Cold War. Despite his failed meeting with North Korea's president Kim Jong Un in Hanoi during his first term and the backlash following his fawning over Putin in Helsinki in 2018 when he accepted Putin's word over that of the FBI regarding interference in US elections, Trump still believes he can get a quick summit win on Ukraine. The search for moments of "great television" — as Trump's described his upbraiding of Ukraine's president Volodymyr Zelenskyy during their meeting in February — is an important motivation. The vicious ambush of Zelenskky by both Trump and vice-president JD Vance in the Oval Office in February was shocking but it should not have been unexpected. Picture: AP /Mstyslav Chernov The problem for Europe and Ukraine is that there is a serious risk a trilateral summit between Trump, Putin and Zelenskyy will descend into a two versus one pile-on. Trump's hostility towards Ukraine's president stretches back to his failed attempts to get the Ukrainian government to implicate the Biden family in a corruption scandal during Trump's first term in office. The vicious ambush of Zelenskky by both Trump and vice-president JD Vance in the Oval Office in February was shocking but it should not have been unexpected. On Monday, European leaders took their turns to praise Trump in Washington DC. This is viewed as a necessary tribute to keep the United States engaged on Ukraine's side of the war, supplying vital intelligence, communications and air defence systems. Europe can ramp up a lot of military assistance to Ukraine, but there are capability gaps that European militaries cannot hope to fill for some years yet. Paying homage to a capricious president may work in the short-term but if, as now seems likely, Trump turns on Zelenskyy and demands that he cede the remaining parts of the Donbas region controlled by Ukraine in the interests of "peace", then the inability of Europe to prevent such a stitch-up will call these tactics of obeisance into question. Allowing Washington, or Beijing, to believe Europe can be belittled, and then ignored with little consequence — whether on trade or Ukraine — could seriously backfire. Trump officials, like his envoy Steve Witkoff, say such concessions are a necessary precondition before putting in place "robust security guarantees" that will ensure a durable peace. Prior to the invasions of 2014 and 2022, Ukraine already had such assurances under the Budapest Memorandum of 1994; Russia as a signatory guaranteed Ukraine's independence and committed to never use military force against Kyiv. Ukraine, for its part, gave up all nuclear weapons systems which had previously been stationed in the country during the Cold War. It is still unclear what new guarantees the Trump administration believes would be sufficient to deter future Russian aggression. It is difficult to envisage a diplomatic breakthrough in the coming weeks. Putin's participation in talks are likely a gambit, a means for Moscow to try to shift blame to Ukraine as a spoiler of peace. Witkoff has shown his ineptitude and bias in recent months; he was unable to name the five Ukrainian regions — Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson and Crimea — annexed or partly occupied by Russia. Witkoff also previously called Ukraine 'a false country'. Before any security guarantees are discussed, top of Trump's agenda will be transfers of land to satisfy Putin. President Zelenskyy cannot give up land which Russia does not occupy — even if he will be pressed to do so by Trump. Given the documented accounts of the mass abduction of children, rape, torture and murder in territories seized by the Russian military to date, the abandonment of more than 250,000 Ukrainians (more than the population of Cork City) living in unoccupied Donetsk to Russian control would be an unimaginable cruelty. Ukraine is struggling to get enough troops to the frontline. An angry Trump cajoling and then threatening Zelenskyy to give Putin what he cannot, will further demoralise Ukrainians — or so Putin hopes — at a time when Russia has gained considerable territory during its summer offensive in Donetsk. Trump has form, having presided over a disastrous deal with the Taliban in 2020, the Doha Agreement, that excluded the then Afghan government, and helped spur the Taliban to victory the following year. The best hope may be that Trump, notoriously inattentive, will simply move on and leave diplomacy on the Ukraine war to others. Dr Edward Burke is a lecturer in war studies at University College Dublin
RTÉ News
an hour ago
- RTÉ News
US broadens reach of steel and aluminum tariffs
The United States has broadened the reach of its steel and aluminum tariffs, the Commerce Department said, impacting hundreds more products that contain both metals such as child seats, tableware and heavy equipment. The Bureau of Industry and Security said in a recent notice that it was adding 407 product types to a list of items considered steel and aluminum "derivative products". This means a 50% tariff on both metals, imposed by President Donald Trump earlier in the year, will apply to their steel and aluminum content. The widened scope took effect yesterday, and the notice detailing the changes has been published in the Federal Register. "Today's action covers wind turbines and their parts and components, mobile cranes, bulldozers and other heavy equipment, railcars, furniture, compressors and pumps, and hundreds of other products," said the Commerce Department in a statement. The move "shuts down avenues for circumvention," Under Secretary of Commerce for Industry and Security Jeffrey Kessler said, reiterating the aim of boosting US steel and aluminum industries. Since returning to the presidency, Mr Trump has imposed a 10% tariff on almost all US trading partners, alongside varying steeper levels on dozens of economies such as the European Union and Japan. Certain sectors have been spared from these countrywide tariff levels but instead were targeted under different authorities by even higher duties. In the case of steel and aluminum, Mr Trump initially unveiled a 25% tariff on imports of both metals before doubling this to 50% in June. Though the impact of Mr Trump's tariffs on consumer prices has been limited so far, economists warn that their full effects are yet to be seen. For now, some businesses have coped by bringing forward purchases of products they expected will encounter tariffs. Others have passed on additional costs to their consumers, or absorbed a part of the fresh tariff burden. But analysts note that importers and retailers will unlikely be able to eat these costs indefinitely, and could eventually raise more consumer prices. Some economists argue that the inflation hit will be one-off, but others are wary of more persistent effects. The latest US Commerce Department additions came after a window for the public to submit product inclusion requests.
Irish Examiner
an hour ago
- Irish Examiner
Gardaí exonerate politician in 'active criminal probe' into alleged Russian agent
Garda Headquarters has said an active criminal investigation is 'ongoing' into allegations that a national politician has links with Russian intelligence services. The statement followed a report in The Journal on Tuesday, which said the investigation had finished and that it had 'exonerated' the Oireachtas member. The article said an officer of the Special Detective Unit had sent confirmation to the politician that, according to the report, 'nothing had been found to suggest he had ever spied for Russia' or had worked for Russian agents. Asked about the status of the investigation, a Garda HQ statement said: 'An Garda Síochána is continuing an ongoing active criminal investigation into this matter. An Garda Síochána has no further comment.' The original allegation was published in The Sunday Times last October, with headlines stating that Russian President Vladimir Putin 'has an agent' in the Oireachtas. Articles alleged it was the first known case of 'infiltration' by a hostile intelligence service. The articles alleged that the politician was an 'agent of influence' of Russia - describing a person in a position to potentially influence policy or political narratives and/or make introductions – as opposed to an active spy. The Sunday Times articles detailed cases of alleged attempts by Russian intelligence to approach and meet the politician, and appear to relate to 2019 and 2020. The Garda National Crime and Security Intelligence Service has been co-ordinating an investigation into the matter, which long precede the media reports. The SDU – which is the operational arm of the service – is leading the investigation. The politician at the centre of the allegations had no comment to make.
