The City’s Voice During Air Raids: How Radio Kryvbas Stayed On Air Even After a Missile Hit Its Antenna

In the first days of the full-scale invasion, information was not just important – it was critical. When the first explosions sounded, when communication was lost, when panic became the background of daily life – someone had to speak with a calm voice. To tell people where to get water. How the evacuation was going. What to do when the air raid siren sounded, and when it was safe to leave the shelter. In Kryvyi Rih, that voice was Radio Kryvbas.

“We gathered the team and said: we keep working. This is no longer entertainment. We’re like firefighters. When disaster strikes, we must be at our post,” says Oleksandr Kozak, the station’s director.

Information Instead of Music

Before February 24, 2022, Radio Kryvbas was a classic regional broadcaster: news, music, social projects, interviews, entertainment segments – all about Kryvyi Rih and for its residents. “In our own Kryvyi Rih style,” as the director puts it.

After the war began, everything changed. “We switched to 24-hour broadcasting. We literally lived at the station. The air was only announcements: where to get water, how to evacuate when the siren sounded. We launched the sirens manually – there were no automatic systems.”

Only a minimal team remained. Some went abroad, others joined the Armed Forces. But the radio never stopped. The team worked knowing the city relied on them like on a fire brigade. If something happened, they had to be there.

A Hit to the Roof: When a Missile Struck the Radio Station

In winter, Kryvyi Rih came under ballistic missile attack. One missile hit a hotel, another – the building housing “Radio Kryvbas.”

“Fortunately, no one was inside the building. But our equipment was destroyed. The transmitters, the antenna – all went out in an instant. We couldn’t even get there right away – rescue workers were operating on site.”

The station switched its broadcasts to another location. Engineers assembled a new system literally from spare parts. But the coverage became limited – in some districts, and especially the suburbs, the signal was weak.

A Grant That Brought the Voice Back

Restoring full-scale broadcasting became possible thanks to participation in the “Support and Recovery of the Kryvyi Rih District” Programme, implemented by the Business Development Fund with financing from the Government of Luxembourg through LuxDev.

“We learned about the Programme at a business forum. We applied without high expectations. But everything went smoothly. And when we got confirmation – it was a chance to bring the city’s full voice back,” says Oleksandr Kozak.

With the grant, the team ordered a new antenna, feeder, and transmitter – specialized equipment manufactured to custom technical specifications. They expect that in the coming months the station will return to the power level that will cover not only all of Kryvyi Rih but also nearby districts – up to 70 km in radius.

Not Entertainment, but Responsibility

Today, Radio Kryvbas produces 19 news bulletins daily, prepares interviews, supports local musicians, and keeps the community connected to reality.

“We have always broadcast in Ukrainian. We never abandoned this principle. We air patriotic songs, children’s Programmes – all in our native language. This isn’t a trend, it’s a value,” the director emphasizes.

ℹ️ For reference:
The program is implemented within the framework of the “Support for Recovery of Kryvyi Rih Rayon” project, funded by the Government of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg through the Luxembourg Development Cooperation Agency (LuxDev) and the Business Development Fund.

Authorized banks: Oschadbank and PrivatBank.