Invisible New Front: How Sound Becomes a Weapon of War

“Explosion of sensations, explosion of tastes” – a few years ago, such phrases were completely read as something bright, incredible, light, and even advertising. However, for several years now, the inhabitants of Ukraine, wherever they live, have known and heard the true “explosive” meaning of this concept. Explosions of sensations have turned into shock waves. Every night. Year after year. Without ceasing. The Russians aim to kill, intimidate and ridicule Ukrainians: be they civilians or those who put on uniform and protect these same civilians. One of the forms of such terror is acoustic terror.

This concept appeared along with the modern war of attrition, and today we are just experimental subjects, on which both the terrorist country and scientists observe the consequences. Each of us who lives in a war-torn country has already experienced countless times the sounds of alarms, missile attacks, drone flights, explosions and the shooting down of all the deadly shit flying at our heads.

So, we can understand what we are talking about. Loud, unexpected sounds that penetrate all barriers are also a kind of intimidation and pressure, bullying. Since the power of sound waves is far from normal, these sounds frighten, paralyze and cause panic attacks. Such a reaction is characteristic of both animals and humans. But the biggest threat of sound attacks is the second - after constant repetitions, any aggressive noise can intensify and re-traumatize, causing huge complications for both the psyche and the body.

"After more than 1,285 days of full-scale war (more than 1,300, op.ed.), Ukraine's nighttime hours are now characterized by the deafening eerie wailing of sirens, the buzzing of drones, the ricocheting of ballistic missiles - and it's getting louder. There have been no quiet nights this summer. June and July were the deadliest months for civilians in the last three years, according to the UN Human Rights Mission in Ukraine," this is how Washington Post reporters explain this concept, who recently published a text about the sonic violence with which Russia "bombards" the civilian Ukrainian population and where the concept of "acoustic terror" becomes central.

It is interesting that the concept of "sonic terror" began to be actively used precisely during the Russian-Ukrainian war and its full-scale phase. In international reports and studies, you can still come across other formulations related to concussions from loud explosions or PTSD, where

there is an acoustic part. The concept of "sounds of war" or "psychological terror through sounds" is a phenomenon of the latest war. They, like the term "acoustic terror", were born in Ukraine, although this is hardly a reason to be happy about such a "first time". It was proposed in March 2022 by Maidan Monitoring (Information Center for Maidan Monitoring), when it became obvious - we are not talking about individual explosions, sirens or the rumble of engines, but about a whole system of influence aimed at exhausting people.

Since then, “acoustic terror” has taken on a much broader meaning than loud or unexpected sounds. In addition to explosions, flights, and the work of air defense systems, this list includes everyday household sounds that now cause an alarm reflex: thunder, the rumble of trucks, the sounds of repairs in a neighbor’s apartment, lawnmowers. They automatically evoke images of impacts, explosions, and shootings, because the experience of living in war has already changed the perception of the world around us. That is why, by the way, since 2014, the launch of fireworks has been banned in Ukraine, and motorcycles with direct-flow mufflers are prohibited, as they affect people traumatized by the loud sounds of war. The World Health Organization recommends that the average noise level during the night should not exceed 40 decibels (dB) in order to avoid negative effects on sleep. However, experts note that the intensity of sounds during war is thousands of times higher than any noise that can be heard in everyday life. This means that the silence that a person should have in order to recover is replaced by sound aggression that literally pierces the ears and brain.

The authors of the publication cite measurement data: air raid sirens reach a level of 100 to 130 decibels at a distance of 30 meters. Even more terrifying in power are the explosions of drones. Their level is 120 to 150 decibels.  

„Drone explosions, sudden and unpredictable, sound about four times louder than sirens.”

This is the threshold where serious health risks begin: temporary or even permanent hearing loss, acoustic trauma, disruption of the vestibular system. To shoot down drones, the military is forced to use machine guns, rapid-fire cannons, anti-aircraft missiles and combat drones. But these weapons themselves create a separate layer of acoustic terror.

“Large-caliber machine gun bursts have a sound level of 140 to 160 decibels, enough to damage hearing, according to WHO data,” the publication quotes.

Finally, there are grenade and bomb explosions. The text cites an impressive figure.

“A grenade or bomb explosion is 4,000 times louder than a quiet room.”

This means that the sonic boom covers a person with a wave that not only deafens, but also disables the body’s natural reactions. Such a contrast – from silence to explosion – destroys the

nervous system’s ability to recover, leaving behind anxiety, panic attacks and a sense of constant threat.

For comparison: the pain threshold is 120 decibels. The record-breaking sound of war was recorded during World War II, when American troops dropped a nuclear bomb on Japan. As a result of the explosions in Nagasaki and Hiroshima, a shock wave was formed, the power of which was 200 decibels.

Modern war realities prove that acoustic terror acts not only at the hearing level. It is part of psychological exhaustion, when the body cannot recover due to the threat of repeated attacks. It is a constant state of anxiety, when even in moments of relative safety it is impossible to relax, because the memory of the previous sound remains in the head. Therefore, acoustic terror is called one of the most insidious tools of Russian aggression - because it is invisible, but omnipresent, it cannot be turned off, it is unrealistic to hide from it, it lasts day and night.

Despite the fact that the international community has long lacked a clear definition for this type of terror, the Ukrainian experience is gradually introducing the concept of acoustic terror into the world's scientific vocabulary. It is beginning to be cited in war reports, at security forums, in scientific and human rights discussions. Thus, the concept that emerged from the experience of Ukrainian cities - Kharkiv, Kyiv, Odessa, Kryvyi Rih, thousands of our towns and villages - has become not only a part of our language, but also a description of a new dimension of modern war, where sound has become a weapon no less destructive than shrapnel or projectiles.

“Acoustic terror”: the unique experience of Ukrainians

Ihor Ruschenko, Doctor of Sociology, Professor at Karazin University in Kharkiv, speaks about the deliberate acoustic terror of the Russians. He knows well what he is talking about: Kharkiv has become one of those cities where acoustic terror is a constant reality.

“Ukrinform” spoke with the professor to understand the need for a special study of acoustic terror. Igor Ruschenko admits that he began working on the topic of acoustic violence even before the full-scale war, but the experience of three years of living in the war-torn border towns and villages of Ukraine made this problem obvious.

“I came to the conclusion that this is a constant trauma – acute or chronic. Each explosion forces a person into a state of tension. Uncertainty, lack of information about what happened and what will happen next, psychologically puts pressure on people and accumulates,” the researcher explains.

In fact, we are talking about chronic stress. In medicine, it is distinguished from an acute reaction that occurs when a person directly experiences an explosion or destruction. But in Kharkiv and other cities, most residents live in conditions of chronic acoustic stress.

One of the consequences, according to Ruschenko, is a “projective reaction”: a person subconsciously perceives loud sounds that are not related to the war as a threat. A door slammed, a garbage truck rumbled, thunder rumbled, and the body reacts as if there was shelling.

“This happens at the level of reflexes. We do not have time to include analytical thinking, the reaction has already happened. This is a sign that people live in abnormal conditions,” says Ruschenko.

Such consequences persist even after leaving the danger zone. One of the study participants said that, already abroad, after a loud slamming of the door, she grabbed her child and fell to the floor.

Ruschenko emphasizes that the topic of “sound terror” as a separate phenomenon has practically not been studied in world science.

“We searched and found no one in the world who does this. Even after the bombing of London during World War II, there were no systematic studies. In scientific texts there is the term “sounds of war”, but acoustic terror was not considered as a separate concept,” says Ruschenko.

Unfortunately, Ukraine has accumulated experience that can become the basis for scientific understanding: from systematic shelling and nightly rocket launches to the constant accompaniment of sirens.

Prolonged acoustic pressure affects both working capacity and the psyche. Sleepless nights, constant anticipation of a threat, changes in behavior in children and adults – all these are the consequences of “sound terror”.  

“We may not yet know all the long-term consequences for people who have lived in a blast zone for months or years. But it is already clear: this is a chronic trauma that will not go away as long as the war continues,” concludes Ruschenko.

“A slamming door, a thunderclap, the sound of a lawnmower or a motorcycle without a muffler – all this turns into a distorted projection,” says the professor. “Even those who have long since passed away write that they still react to loud sounds as if they were explosions. This is not just stress, it is a reflex reaction to a threat that will stay with us for a long time.”

How long – research is still ongoing. Ruschenko cites examples from hospital practice: a woman was brought in with a suspicion of a stroke – and this was a reaction to an explosion. In another case, a person lost the ability to move after the sound of a siren – her legs simply gave out. He explains such conditions as the so-called projection syndrome: when a loud sound automatically evokes in the mind an image of war, destruction and a threat to life.

Sonic warfare is a research field that needs to be explored

The sounds of war and the lingering Russian acoustic terror are invisible but omnipresent, as one constantly lives in anticipation of the next siren or explosion, and this hypervigilance becomes an integral part of the traumatic experience.

There is also a symbolic dimension of acoustic terror: a siren or the sound of an airplane not only remind of danger - they carry a feeling of powerlessness to change something, learned from year to year. Even after the war is over, they will continue to resonate with people, causing flashbacks and panic attacks. And that is the experience of previous wars.

To this is added the physical dimension: abnormal sound waves of explosions damage the brain, leaving behind traumas that affect memory, attention and emotions. Sound becomes not only a psychological, but also a physical wound. And the consequences of this wound can be borne by future generations of Ukrainians.

That is why the separate concept of "acoustic terror" accurately describes another way in which the enemy deliberately uses sound - to intimidate, exhaust and keep people in constant tension. They specially install devices on attack drones that emit a hellish roar when the "Shahed" dives into the target. This is also a weapon of the Russian Nazis, it is necessary to document it and recognize its use as a crime.

However, it is precisely the isolation of this acoustic phenomenon of war that gives us a chance. A chance to develop special methods of assistance, to take into account the specifics of sound trauma in therapy, to help people learn to live again without constantly trembling in anticipation of a siren or an explosion. A chance to draw the attention of the scientific community, researchers and society to this problem, which concerns the understanding of long-term military conflicts of the 21st century.

If Ukraine has already been tested by a long and exhausting war, then perhaps its experience will help the world better understand what modern war really is. And to see not only the scale of destruction, but also the incredible endurance of people who hold on despite everything. Even when waves of sirens, explosions and shattering glass destroy you from the inside.