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Fri, Feb 11, 2022

Russian War Report: Belarus threatens to arm firefighters as military exercises kick off

The Council's Digital Forensic Research Lab tracks the latest Russian troop movements and Kremlin-pushed narratives around NATO, Germany, and more.

by Digital Forensic Research Lab

Tue, Feb 8, 2022

Russian War Report: New evidence of accelerated military build-up near Ukraine

The Council’s open-source researchers reveal the latest Russian troop, aircraft, and weapons movements around Ukraine, along with new Kremlin disinformation efforts. 

by Digital Forensic Research Lab

An Indian Army convoy moves along a highway leading to Ladakh, at Gagangeer in Kashmir’s Ganderbal district, June 18, 2020.

Thu, Jan 6, 2022

Social media and security dynamics in the ongoing India-China border dispute

False narratives underline dangers posed by disinformation as a means of stoking hostility between nuclear-armed neighbors.

by Ayushman Kaul

China Facebook

Tue, Jan 4, 2022

Experts react to the year since January 6

Domestic extremism experts weigh in on the year since the January 6 attack and their perspectives on continuing threats to US democracy.

by Digital Forensic Research Lab

Screenshot from a Telegram video showing US M109 Paladin artillery systems on a westward train passing through a train station platform in Legnica, Poland. Text that accompanied the video inaccurately claimed the train was heading east.

Tue, Dec 21, 2021

Pro-Russian outlets promote misleading story about US Army howitzers moving through Poland

Belarusian Telegram channel pushed inaccurate claim, leading to anti-Western coverage by Russian and Belarusian outlets.

by Givi Gigitashvili

Belarus Geolocation
A passenger is seen showing his vaccination document to a train conductor in Ukraine, October 21, 2021. A vaccination certificate or a negative test is required for inter-city travel by train, bus or planes.

Thu, Dec 16, 2021

Scammers use Telegram and Facebook ads to sell fake COVID certificates in Ukraine

Telegram hosts Ukrainian channels and accounts claiming to sell legitimate vaccine certificates, while FB ads are exploited to promote them.

by Roman Osadchuk

Coronavirus COVID-19
“RENT A FB ACCOUNT AND EARN FROM IT… Make good use of your Facebook account!”

Thu, Dec 16, 2021

Ukrainian Facebook account-renting scheme migrates to TikTok and Telegram

Ukrainian TikTok, Telegram, and Instagram accounts offer easy money to Facebook users willing to rent their accounts for advertising.

by Roman Osadchuk

Advertising BuiltWIth
People queue up outside a mass vaccination centre as Latvia opens walk in coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccination scheme in Riga, Latvia, April 16, 2021.

Wed, Nov 10, 2021

Anti-government activists in Latvia openly recruit anonymous trolls

Previous activities involved active amplification of COVID-19 disinformation and conspiracies.

by Nika Aleksejeva

Baltics Buzzsumo
(Source: REUTERS/Maynor Valenzuela)

Fri, Nov 5, 2021

Multi-platform troll farm linked to Nicaraguan government

Inauthentic network targeted domestic audiences in the lead-up to Nicaragua’s November 2021 general election

by Daniel Suárez Pérez, Esteban Ponce de León, Luiza Bandeira

CrowdTangle Electorate
Vladimir Putin

Tue, Sep 21, 2021

Navalny’s “Smart Voting” election campaign undermined by fake apps and Telegram channels

Apps and Telegram channels impersonated their pro-Navalny counterparts, potentially redirecting voters away from strategic voting advice

by Eto Buziashvili

Elections Eurasia
Members of media attend a rally in memory of Pirveli TV channel cameraman Alexander Lashkarava, a victim of violence against LGBT+ activists and journalists last Monday, in front of the Office of the Georgian Government in Tbilisi, Georgia July 11, 2021. (Source: Reuters/Irakli Gedenidze)

Fri, Jul 23, 2021

Online calls for attacks against Georgia’s LGBTQ community result in offline violence

Anti-LGBTQ, pro-Kremlin groups, and representatives of the Orthodox Church mobilized people online for violence in real life

by Sopo Gelava, Eto Buziashvili

Caucasus Civil Society
A Palestinian stands on a house that was destroyed in an Israeli air strike during the fighting between Israel and Hamas in May 2021, in the northern Gaza Strip on June 29, 2021. (Source: REUTERS/Mohammed Salem)

Thu, Jul 1, 2021

Iranian accounts promote anti-Israel hashtags in the wake of the Israel-Hamas war

The campaign, promoted on Telegram, is linked to an Iranian conspiracy theorist previously suspended from Twitter.

by Digital Forensic Research Lab

COVID-19 Iran