This Alarm Clock Sounds Every Time Ukraine Is Attacked, and It’s Going Off Non-Stop

Razom for Ukraine, a non-profit organisation advocating for the nation on the international stage, announced today the release of the Air Raid Alarm Clock: An innovative device that displays air raid alerts from across Ukraine in real time, and whose unsettling sirens are designed as a wake up call to the politicians in the US and EU failing to support the country at this crucial moment.

According to Max Burtsev, Ukrainian creative, volunteer and one of the minds behind the device, “The Air Raid Alarm Clock is our way of making at least a few people in the world hear what we hear every day. If words fail to break through the deafness of politicians, perhaps sound will – a sound that cannot be ignored.”

Discover more here.

Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine began on February 24th, 2022 – an action that was condemned as illegal by the majority of UN member nations – innocent civilians across the country have been under constant threat of aerial attacks from missiles, mortars and drones. In order to help safeguard their lives, the government sends out air raid alerts in the form of loud sirens that resound throughout the affected areas via loudspeakers, radios and state-approved apps – an ominous sound that, after three long years of war, has come to symbolise loss: The loss of homes, of lives, and of the hopes Ukrainians once had for their nation’s future. 

But while at the beginning of the conflict, the United States and most of the EU and NATO nations were firmly on Ukraine’s side, new political realities have seen their once unshaking support begin to crumble. And with Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin’s recent unilateral peace talks, which purposefully excluded Ukraine from the negotiating table, the situation has become even more dire. Because while the country’s hands are now seemingly tied – and their future is being decided without them – Russia continues their aerial attacks.

That’s why, in order to sound the alarm for Ukraine, Razom created the Air Raid Alarm Clock. The device, which upon first glance appears like a typical smart clock, is connected directly to the Ukrainian government's official air alert system; So every time an alarm goes off anywhere across the country, that same unsettling siren emanates from the clock – all while displaying real time data including where the alerts are taking place, what percentage of the country is under alert and the number of days since the invasion began. And with those alarms going off an average of 42 times a day since the war began, they’re sure to unsettle users and, hopefully, awaken their conscience. 

Because the clock is ticking… and the time to defend Ukraine's national sovereignty is running out.

Taking Action in Washington DC and Brussels 

Right now, not just citizens, but politicians need to take a stand for Ukraine – and every second counts. That’s why Razom is going to hand deliver 10 of these limited edition devices to United States Senators and members of Congress in Washington DC and members of the European Parliament in Brussels. And to make sure they hear the message loud and clear, they’ve released an advert aimed at American politicians while launching an attention-grabbing demonstration in the Belgian capital.

At noon on Tuesday, February 17th, coinciding with a series of emergency meetings regarding the situation in Ukraine, a street team from Razom set up one of the Air Raid Alarm Clocks in Luxembourg Square, directly in front of the European Parliament. As the sirens rang out from the device throughout the morning, shocked pedestrians and MPs turned heads and stopped to ask about the device. All with the intent to show those in power that if we don’t stand up to Russia now, they might hear these sirens much closer to home the next time. 

Afterwards, the team met with members of the European Energy Policy Commission, which has been strongly cooperating with Ukraine, to discuss the current situation and deliver the devices, which were received positively by all those present.

Razom also filmed a satirical infomercial for the device, with the help of Ukrainian talent both in the country and living abroad in exile. In it, a salesman (played by Ukrainian actor Denis Sheck) extols the virtues of the Air Raid Alarm Clock to US politicians, while constantly being interrupted by its sirens – all before a shocking surprise ending. But while the spot was scripted, 38 actual alarms went off during its 12 hour filming, affecting the regions of Cherkasy, Chernihiv, Dnipro, Donetsk, Kharkiv, Kherson, Khmelnytskyi, Kirovohrad, Kyiv, Mykolaiv, Odesa, Poltava, Rivne, Sumy, Vinnytsia, Zaporizhzhia and Zhytomyr.

A Creative Alliance Between Spain, Ukraine and the US

The device, along with the associated awareness campaign, was developed from the ground up by Creative Alliance: A not-for-profit collective made up of creatives, agencies, product designers, production companies, musicians and creative technologists from Spain and Ukraine – including Arriba! From Kharkiv, Officer & Gentleman, Fabs Robotics, Canal Creativo, BRIDGE and Pedro Perles from Madrid, Goloso Creative Studio from Murcia, Ricorico from Valencia, and Secret Films, Pijama Studio, Appia and the director David Alcalde from Barcelona – that donate their time and expertise to projects to help those affected by the war.

Together with the US-based Razom for Ukraine, which works with policy-makers in the United States and Europe, they believe that creativity can truly make a difference by finding unconventional ways to inform the public and those in power about important issues – all while shining a spotlight on injustices that far too often go unnoticed or ignored. According to Max Burtsev, founder of Arriba!, founding member of Creative Alliance and Razom board member:

“Fortunately for those in the Western world, the war in Ukraine remains just images on the internet. But for us, it is an everyday reality – the sound of explosions, air raid sirens, anxiety, fear for our loved ones, and life between shelters. We, Ukrainians, will keep fighting for our freedom and democracy because that is what we believe in. But we also want to remind the world that the war in the largest country in Europe is not a distant event that can be ignored. It has already changed the world and can reach any home.

The Air Raid Alarm Clock is our way of making at least a few people in the world hear what we hear every day. If words fail to break through the deafness of politicians, perhaps sound will – a sound that cannot be ignored.”

A device that’s sure to keep its owners up at night – whether it’s because of the alarms… or feelings of guilt. Because Ukraine will keep up the fight, but we need our leaders to keep their promises as well if we want to achieve a real, lasting peace.