Return to Ukraine’s Radio ROKS: Heavy metal (and hackers) for brothers in arms

Summary

Return to Ukraine’s Radio ROKS: Heavy Metal (and Hackers) for Brothers in Arms

Podcast: Click Here
Host: Dina Temple-Raston
Release Date: July 8, 2025

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Introduction: The Power of Radio in Times of War

Dina Temple-Raston opens the episode by drawing a parallel between President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s iconic 1941 radio broadcasts and a modern-day Ukrainian radio station, Radio Rocks. She emphasizes the enduring importance of radio as a medium that provides both information and comfort during turbulent times.

“Perhaps FDR chose radio because of what it does best, maybe better than any other medium. There's an intimacy to radio, something reassuring about listening to just the sound of someone's voice.” (02:00)

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The Birth and Rise of Radio Rocks

Radio Rocks, established in the 1990s, became Ukraine’s first international rock and heavy metal station. It symbolized Ukraine's cultural shift from its Soviet past, broadcasting Western rock music that resonated deeply with listeners.

“Radio Rocks was born out of that tradition [of using music as a political statement during the Cold War]. When it started in the 1990s, it was the first international rock and roll and heavy metal station in Ukraine.” (07:03)

Serhi Zenin, one of Radio Rocks' hosts, shares his personal connection to the station. Growing up with a passion for rock music, Serhi found his calling when Radio Rocks offered him a platform to share the music he loved.

“It was a magical moment for me to play the music I love to people, to talk about this music, you know, and make it become my career.” (09:59)

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Radio Rocks Amidst the Invasion

In February 2022, Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine transformed Radio Rocks’ mission. The station adapted by dedicating half of its programming to war coverage, offering dispatches from the front lines, fundraising efforts, and call-in shows to support both soldiers and civilians.

“We were talking about what is going on, we were talking about fundraising processes, about helping our soldiers, about helping civilians.” (10:45)

The other half of the station continued to play rock music, aiming to inspire hope and provide emotional support through songs that resonate with the struggles and resilience of the Ukrainian people.

“And also we started playing inspirational music. We understood that somehow we need to help people, to inspire them for fighting, to get them some hope through the music.” (12:14)

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The Role of Music and Community Support

Radio Rocks became a beacon of normalcy and emotional relief for many Ukrainians. Serhi highlights how music requests from the battlefield provided soldiers with moments of respite and connection to their lives back home.

“It felt like that late night Delilah show in the US. It's wildly popular, but no one seems to want to admit that they actually listen to it. It's late. Did you just join us? Have you missed the whole night's worth of music and stories, you knucklehead?” (13:20)

Listeners shared heartfelt messages and song requests, reinforcing the station’s role in maintaining morale and unity.

“Every time that, for example, I hear this particular song, I start crying or I am very, very close to that. This is our country. We love it. And these are our brothers and sisters. We love them.” (21:39)

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Cyberattacks and Resilience

In the summer of 2022, Radio Rocks faced cyberattacks from Russian hackers aiming to disrupt Ukrainian media and sow fear. A notable incident involved a fake broadcast falsely announcing President Volodymyr Zelensky’s critical condition.

“It was after we came back. Stay with us.” (15:34)

The malicious broadcast, with a robotic-sounding voice, momentarily deceived many listeners. However, Radio Rocks quickly responded by clarifying the misinformation, prompting President Zelensky to personally address the nation and dispel the false reports.

“I am in my office and I'm healthier than ever. And then, half smiling, he added, with all due respect to the older people, 44 is not 70. Glory to Ukraine.” (17:11)

This incident underscored the vulnerabilities of digital media and the enduring strength of traditional radio in disseminating accurate information during crises.

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Serhi Zenin’s Transition to Military Service

Amidst his pivotal role at Radio Rocks, Serhi Zenin felt compelled to join the military. Responding to his father's urging, he enlisted in the 412th Battalion, known for its renowned drone unit, Nemesis.

“I want to do my best to bring the victory, and I want to come back to this life, to work on the station, to play this music, you know, to hang out with my friends.” (20:42)

While serving, Serhi reflects on how his perception of music has deepened, finding new emotional layers in the songs he once cherished purely for their beats and lyrics.

“And a lot of songs, by the way, started sounding quite differently for me personally. Like, for example, I always liked the song by Dire Straits, which is called Brothers in Arms. But I never felt it so much like I do right now.” (21:06)

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Conclusion: The Enduring Spirit of Radio and Rock

Despite the ongoing conflict, Radio Rocks remains steadfast in its mission to inform and uplift the Ukrainian people. The station symbolizes the resilience and unity of a nation under siege, with rock music serving as both a cultural touchstone and a source of inspiration.

“Freedom, love. These are the things that you have to fight for, and these are actually one of those things that we believe in and we fight for them.” (22:34)

As Ukraine continues to navigate the challenges of war, Radio Rocks stands as a testament to the unifying power of music and the indispensable role of media in sustaining national morale.

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Key Quotes:

• “There’s an intimacy to radio, something reassuring about listening to just the sound of someone’s voice.” – Dina Temple-Raston (02:00)

• “Every single man, woman and child is a partner in the most tremendous undertaking of our American history.” – Franklin Delano Roosevelt (01:14)

• “We must share together the bad news and the good news, the defeats and the victories.” – Franklin Delano Roosevelt (01:47)

• “Freedom, love. These are the things that you have to fight for.” – Serhi Zenin (22:34)

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This episode of Click Here masterfully intertwines historical parallels with contemporary challenges, highlighting the vital role of Radio Rocks in Ukraine's struggle and the enduring spirit of its people.

Transcript

[Dena Temple Raston]

From Recorded Future News and prx, this is Click Here. Hey, it's Dena. The Click Here team is taking a short summer breather, but we wanted to return to a story that kind of stuck with us. It's about a radio station in Ukraine, one that plays ac, DC and Metallica in addition to air rate alerts. For half the day, they're headbanging. For the other half, they're broadcasting from the front lines. Because when you're living through war, the power of a voice, even when shouting over distortion pedals, can mean everything. Take a listen.

[Franklin Delano Roosevelt]

Ladies and gentlemen, the President of the United States. My fellow Americans. The sudden criminal attacks perpetrated by the Japanese in the Pacific provide the climax.

[Dena Temple Raston]

On December 9, 1941, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt spoke to the American people to tell them the country was at war.

[Franklin Delano Roosevelt]

Now, in this war, we're all in it, all the way. Every single man, woman and child is a partner in the most tremendous undertaking of our American history.

[Dena Temple Raston]

The nation was rattled. The Japanese had just attacked Pearl harbor. And in this time of peril, FDR decided to step up to the mic, not for a press conference, but for a chat. As much about informing people as comforting them.

[Franklin Delano Roosevelt]

We must share together the bad news and the good news, the defeats and the victories.

[Dena Temple Raston]

I know I might be a little biased here, but perhaps FDR chose radio because of what it does best, maybe better than any other medium. There's an intimacy to radio, something reassuring about listening to just the sound of someone's voice. So when we heard the story of another wartime radio broadcast almost 100 years later and nearly half a world away, we. We couldn't resist bringing it to you, Though the soundtrack was a little different this time.

[Serhi Zenin]

Radio Rocks. Ukrainsk Rock Turkey Rock.

[Dena Temple Raston]

Radio Rocks is the only radio station in Ukraine that is completely dedicated to international rock and roll. And the station provided a different kind of soundtrack, a western soundtrack to a part of the world that had limited exposure to this kind of as you are, as you were, as I, Nirvana, ac, dc, Metallica. It was like a sonic testament to how far Ukraine had come from its Soviet bloc days. And Western rock and roll blasting from radios seemed to just underscore that for more than a decade, a rock and roll mission was enough for Radio Rocks, or at least seemed to be. But then the Russians invaded in 2022, and what happened after that stole a page from FDR's playbook, though with a modern twist and some very modern complications. I'm Dina Temple Raston and this is Quick here a podcast about all things cyber and intelligence. We tell true stories about the people making and breaking our digital world. Almost exactly a year ago, we traveled to Ukraine to see for ourselves how technology was shaping the war. Hello, I'm Dina. Nice to meet you. Nice to meet you. This is Shaoshan. Today we have a story that's more about heart than head. I think it's safe to say that in the past thousand days or so, Ukraine has defied every expectation. And part of that is because nearly every corner of society has found a way to pitch in to band together during a difficult time. And that includes one of the nation's most popular destinations for hard rock and roll. Stay with foreign Click Here is brought to you by Progressive Insurance. Do you ever think about switching insurance companies to see if you could save some cash? Progressive makes it easy to see if you could save when you bundle your home and auto policies. Try [e-mail] Progressive Casualty Insurance Company and affiliates. Potential savings will vary. Not available in all states. For recorded future news, this is Click here. I'm Dina Temple West. We met Serhi Zenin quite by accident during a reporting trip in Ukraine last year. Senior Supervising producer Sean Powers and I were in the outskirts of Kyiv and a guide was taking us on a tour of something called Unit City.

[Unnamed Guide]

The pleasure working at Unit City, which is Innovation park, is you meet so many people.

[Dena Temple Raston]

Unit City is filled with shipping containers converted into office buildings. Everything is painted bright primary colors and the corporate campus is surrounded by these velvety green lawns and life size chessboards. It all feels very Silicon Valley esque. The Radio Rock studio was stashed in one of those buildings. It's on the ground floor with big glass windows so you can see them while they work.

[Unnamed Guide]

This is the largest telecommunications holding in Ukraine. They don't broadcast now all the time because of the war.

[Dena Temple Raston]

And our guide had stopped just long enough to tell us about it when Serhi Zenin, one of Radio Rock's hosts, overheard us talking.

[Serhi Zenin]

I hear you talking about us.

[Unnamed Guide]

Yeah, come, come to us. Tell us.

[Dena Temple Raston]

Turns out, sir, he knew our guide, Unit City's cfo. They'd been in military drone school together for one week.

[Unnamed Guide]

We were in a mud and we were learning the Syrian practice how to fly like five types of drone. And then we met at Unit City.

[Serhi Zenin]

And said at the end, at the end of the currency, we. I understood that we work at the same space.

[Unnamed Guide]

Yeah.

[Dena Temple Raston]

Oh, that's amazing. They are trainees and colleagues. That happens a lot in Ukraine these days. Serhi explained that to Understand the role Radio Rocks is playing in the war now. You need to go back a few years to a different kind of war, the Cold War, to those days in the old Soviet bloc when rock and roll wasn't just music, it was a political statement. One of the most famous instances of this happened in 1987. David Bowie played a three day open air concert in Berlin in front of the Reichstag. And the stage was so close to the border that many East Berliners gathered along the Wall just to listen. And then David Bowie started singing Heroes, a song about two lovers, one from East Berlin and the other from the West. And it became a kind of soundtrack for freedom. The Berlin wall fell just 2. Radio Rocks was born out of that tradition. When it started in the 1990s, it was the first international rock and roll and heavy metal station in Ukraine. And given this mythic quality that rock and roll had at the time, it became wildly popular.

[Serhi Zenin]

Like Radio Rocks right now is one of the top radio stations, totally in Ukraine, not only among rock lovers, but this station I can see and I believe in it. We made a lot of people fall in love with rock music, sir.

[Dena Temple Raston]

He grew up devoted to hard rock of every kind. Dire Straits, Black Sabbath, ACDC and Serhi's personal childhood favorite, Scorpions.

[Serhi Zenin]

When I was six years old, my father brought me a present. He brought six albums by Scorpions. And since that moment, I've started listening to rock, then metal, new metal, alternative rock, everything.

[Dena Temple Raston]

He couldn't get enough. He was always on the hunt for bootleg tapes. And then Radio Rocks 103.6 came along and all the music he loved so much was literally at his fingertips. And it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say he, he fell in love with the station. So when he got a little older and heard Radio Rocks was looking for a new host, it was a no brainer.

[Serhi Zenin]

And at that very moment I understood that I have to send my CV and I have to get an opportunity to work there. It was a magical moment for me to play the music I love to people, to talk about this music, you know, and make it become my career.

[Dena Temple Raston]

And then in February 2022, that dream job became a calling. Tonight, Vladimir Putin unleashes a tidal wave of violence as Russia launches a full scale invasion of Ukraine. Radio Rocks immediately knew they wanted to do their part to find some modern version of what FDR did with his fireside chats. Not just comfort people, but inform them, maybe even raise a call to action.

[Serhi Zenin]

We were talking about what is Going on, we were talking about fundraising processes, about helping our soldiers, about helping civilians.

[Dena Temple Raston]

Russia wanted to divide the Ukrainian people to crush their morale and make them feel alone. Serhi and the team at Radio Rocks wanted to figure out a way to bring people together. Lots of forms of communication might get disrupted by the fighting, they thought, but radio probably wouldn't.

[Serhi Zenin]

Some people in some villages, they didn't have any Internet electricity. They had only like car radios in their cars, or they had older radios working on batteries. And this was also the way to get some information.

[Dena Temple Raston]

So the station decided to make a huge shift. It would split the broadcast 50, 50. Half the time they would cover the war, almost like a talk radio station, which with things like dispatches from the front lines, they'd offer call in shows to answer questions about the war. Like in this case, where the host asks what kind of skills the military wanted recruits to have.

[Serhi Zenin]

Now each civilian skills may be used in the military, for example. Now, in addition to pilots, in addition to operators, we also need people who are good at social media.

[Dena Temple Raston]

The other half the time they would still play rock and roll, but with more of a Bowie esque intention.

[Serhi Zenin]

And also we started playing inspirational music. We understood that somehow we need to help people, to inspire them for fighting, to get them some hope through the music.

[Dena Temple Raston]

And Serhii did whatever he could to provide something uplifting for listeners. Like the time he started singing a Proclaimer song on the air in Ukraine. Of course, how could a song like that not cheer up a beleaguered nation, even for a moment? Radio Rocks even started taking requests from the battlefield. Soldiers sometimes stream the station with Starlink and the song requests seem to offer a moment of normalcy.

[Unnamed Guide]

Hello everyone, this is Arp and I'm.

[Serhi Zenin]

In the Ukrainian Armed Forces. I want to request a song by Zhadan and Sobaki.

[Dena Temple Raston]

It felt like that late night Delilah show in the us. It's wildly popular, but no one seems to want to admit that they actually listen to it. It's late. Did you just join us? Have you missed the whole night's worth of music and stories, you knucklehead? Where have you been? We're here to talk to you. She takes calls from listeners, offers them advice, and then dedicates a song to someone in their life. Radio Rocks added segments like that.

[Unnamed Guide]

Dobry vech mko My name is Oleksandr Ponomarenko. I am a serviceman of the territorial Defense Forces 98 DNIPRO. I would like to send my greetings to my wife Svetlana. My son Roman, all my relatives and friends, boys, we will all win and return home all the best. Patience. Glory to Ukraine.

[Serhi Zenin]

It is very important for any person who is facing hard, cruel moments to have that moment of rest and emotional release, to stay connected with their civil.

[Dena Temple Raston]

Life, trying to provide both practical information and moral support.

[Serhi Zenin]

It is very important for them that the station that they used to listen when they were civilians supports them and understands them now that they became soldiers.

[Dena Temple Raston]

And their shift toward the war effort was going great, maybe too great. Because in the summer of 2022, Ukrainian cities weren't the only ones to come under attack. The Russians took aim at the nation's radio stations too. Not with missiles, but with hackers.

[Serhi Zenin]

We are the part of the Ukrainian informational space. Of course, Russians could try to do something to harm our media sources and they always try to do it. So it was not a surprise for us that this hack happened.

[Dena Temple Raston]

That's after we come back. Stay with us.

[Serhi Zenin]

Jan Marsalek was a model of German corporate success. It seemed so damn simple for him. Also, it turned out a fraudster. Where does the money come from? That was something that I always was questioning myself. But what if I told you that was the least interesting thing about him? His secret office was less than 500 meters down the road. I often ask myself now, did I know the true Jan at all?

[Unnamed Guide]

Certain things in my life since then have gone terribly wrong.

[Franklin Delano Roosevelt]

I don't know if they followed me to my home.

[Unnamed Guide]

It looks like the ingredients of a really grand spy stories because this ties together the Cold War with the new one.

[Serhi Zenin]

Listen to Hot Agent of Chaos wherever you get your podcasts.

[Unnamed Announcer]

If you're looking for a daily guide to cybersecurity news and policy, sign up for the Cyber Daily from Recorded Future News. It serves up the day's most interesting and important cyber stories from our sister publication the Record, and then aggregates all of the big cyber stories you might have missed from news outlets around the world. Just go to TheRecord Media and click on Cyber Daily to get all you need to know about the world of cybersecurity right in your inbox.

[Dena Temple Raston]

From Recorded Future News. I'm Dena Temple Rest and this is Click here. Radio Rocks is part of a family of radio stations in Ukraine owned by a company called Tavar Media. And in the summer of 2022, listeners to a handful of its radio stations heard some shocking news coming out of the speakers. This is audio from the broadcast that day and it said that President Volodymyr Zelensky was in critical condition and had to be taken to intensive care. Thing was, it wasn't true. Someone had hacked into Tevar Media's servers and managed to intercept the broadcast. The voice wasn't one of the regular hosts. It sounded a bit robotic and hard to believe. In a way, the hack was kind of a backhanded compliment, an understanding of the power of radio. And for a moment, radio listeners in Ukraine felt their hearts sink, which is what the hackers wanted. But it worked only briefly, to have our media posted about the hack almost right away, telling listeners that the President was just fine, thank you very much. But the broadcast reached enough people that Zelensky felt compelled to personally respond. He posted a video on Instagram to prove that he was alive. Don't worry, he said. This was just a Russian disinformation campaign. I am not alone. Zelensky says there are 40 million of us. Then, with a little dig to Putin, he says, I'm in my office and I'm healthier than ever. And then, half smiling, he added, with all due respect to the older people, 44 is not 70. Glory to Ukraine. And with that, Radio Rocks and its fellow radio stations return to regularly scheduled programming, perhaps even more sure of their mission.

[Serhi Zenin]

The role of radio is important to people. After the war began, I started understanding it more and more because we always got feedback from our listeners, and they always were telling us how important is what we do to them.

[Dena Temple Raston]

As soon as the war started, Serhi did keep working at Radio Rocks, but he also signed up for the military, joining the long lines of men who flocked to military recruitment offices after the invasion, though he wasn't called up until just a few months ago.

[Serhi Zenin]

My father called me and said that you have the note from the recruiting center. They are waiting for you. So I went there and told them that I'm ready to join the army.

[Dena Temple Raston]

Sir. He joined the 412th Battalion this summer, and while he wouldn't say exactly what he was doing, they are known for having a rather famous drone unit called Nemesis. And while some soldiers are still listening to Radio Rocks on the front lines, Serhi told us he wasn't able to. The vehicle his unit has access to doesn't have a radio, and the radio's silence just puts these days of war in starker relief. He misses his peacetime life.

[Serhi Zenin]

I want to do my best to bring the victory, and I want to come back to this life, to work on the station, to play this music, you know, to hang out with my friends. I want to get back to that life again.

[Dena Temple Raston]

Sir, he says the way he listens to music is different now. He hears songs with the ears of a soldier.

[Serhi Zenin]

And a lot of songs, by the way, started sounding quite differently for me personally. Like, for example, I always liked the song by Dire Straits, which is called Brothers in Arms. But I never felt it so much like I do right now. These mist colored mountains are all now.

[Dena Temple Raston]

For me.

[Serhi Zenin]

Every time that, for example, I hear this particular song, I start crying or I am very, very close to that. This is our country. We love it. And these are our brothers and sisters. We love them. How can you not support the ones you love? How can you not fight for the ones you love? I think it was always a part of the real Ukrainian DNA.

[Dena Temple Raston]

It's no wonder that rock and roll is his anthem. What's more rock and roll than resistance, camaraderie and fighting for what you love? Turn on any song by Scorpions or David Bowie or Mark Knopfler and they're all singing about the very things at stake in this war.

[Serhi Zenin]

Freedom, love. These are the things that you have to fight for, and these are actually one of those things that we believe in and we fight for them.

[Dena Temple Raston]

On the ground. The war grinds on. Ukraine is looking for small wins that will provide leverage in any ceasefire negotiations. Moscow is elevating threats of nuclear war, and President Elect Donald Trump, who claims he could end the war in 24 hours, will be inaugurated in January. This is Click Here. Click Here is a production of Recorded Future News and prx. I'm Dena Temple Raston. Our producers are Megan Dietre, Sean Powers, Erica Guida and Zach Hirsch. Click Here is edited by Karen Duffin and fact checked by Darren Ancrum. It contains original music by Ben Levingston with some other music from Blue Dot sessions. Our staff writer is Lucas Riley and our illustrator is Megan Gough. Martin Peralta and Jesse Niswonger are our sound designers and engineers. Tune in on Friday for Mic Drop, which features our favorite interview of the week. We'll see you then.

[Unnamed Announcer]

If you're looking for a daily guide to cybersecurity news and policy, sign up for the Cyber Daily from Recorded Future News. It serves up today's most interesting and important cyber stories from our sister publication, the Record, and then aggregates all of the big cyber stories you might have missed from news outlets around the world. Just go to the Record Media and click on Cyber Daily to get all you need to know about the world of cybersecurity right in your inbox.