Organization - Target

Top pro-Kremlin channels gain followers faster, reach more people, and have more subscribers than those critical of the Kremlin

Fri, May 13, 2022

Pro-Kremlin Telegram channels in Russia outperforming channels critical of Kremlin

Top pro-Kremlin channels gain followers faster, reach more people, and have more subscribers than those critical of the Kremlin.

by Givi Gigitashvili

Eastern Europe Electorate
Bonnie and Clyde’s cameo during Russian Victory Day celebrations. (Source: @JuliaDavisNews/archive)

Tue, May 10, 2022

Russian War Report: Russia accidentally honors Bonnie and Clyde during Victory Day celebration

During a Victory Day celebration, Kremlin TV featured a photo of infamous American criminals Bonnie and Clyde during a slideshow of alleged Soviet WWII veterans.

by Digital Forensic Research Lab

Tue, May 10, 2022

Videos in Spanish created by Kremlin outlets reappear on YouTube despite restrictions

Multiple channels used same branding of restricted pro-Kremlin media, garnering thousands of subscribers and views in less than a month.

by Daniel Suárez Pérez, Esteban Ponce de León

Buzzsumo Disinformation
This image depicting a Polish general alluding to annexing parts of Ukraine was one of several circulating on pro-Kremlin Telegram channels that turned out to be fake. (Source: Signal Telegram Channel/archive)

Fri, May 6, 2022

Pro-Kremlin Telegram channels promote narrative that Poland will annex western Ukraine

Narrative relies on forged documents and fake images of billboards in Poland.

by Roman Osadchuk, Givi Gigitashvili

Disinformation Electorate
Logo of Russia’s Channel One program “AntiFake,” which presents propaganda and disinformation as fact-checking.

Wed, May 4, 2022

How Russia employs fake fact-checking in its disinformation arsenal

Kremlin-aligned outlets embrace open-source research and fact-checking tropes to make disinformation more convincing.

by Ingrid Dickinson

CrowdTangle Disinformation
File photo of Russian firefighter. (Source: EMERCOM)

Tue, May 3, 2022

Russian War Report: New fires and alleged sabotage operations across Russian territory 

Over the past week, numerous strategic facilities on Russian territory have caught fire drawing accusation of sabotage. 

by Digital Forensic Research Lab

Russian gamer Ivan “Pure” Moskalenko draws a Z (top left corner) during an idle moment of a Dota 2 game against a team with two Ukrainian players.

Tue, May 3, 2022

Russian gamer banned after drawing the letter Z during esports competition

Russian team Virtus.pro was competing against Ukrainian players during Dota 2 tournament at the time of the incident.

by Emerson T. Brooking

Europe & Eurasia Influential Individual
Plumes of smoke rise after a fire erupts at an oil depot in Bryansk, Russia April 25, 2022 in this still image obtained from social media video. Natalya Krutova via REUTERS

Tue, Apr 26, 2022

Russian War Report: Geolocating fires in Bryansk

On April 25, large fires were reported in Bryansk, Russia, just 100 kilometers from the Ukrainian border. DFRLab geolocated the fires to confirm an armed forces fuel depot was damaged.

by Digital Forensic Research Lab

Secretary of Ukraine's National Security and Defence Council Oleksiy Danilov addresses the media in Kyiv, Ukraine February 23, 2022.

Mon, Apr 18, 2022

Russian War Report: Russia falsely accuses Ukraine of provoking conflict even after it knew war was coming

Russia has rehashed several old narratives in their continued attempts to justify the war in Ukraine including misrepresented statements from Ukrainian officials.

by Digital Forensic Research Lab

Rossiya TV video claiming to show Ukrainians dressing mannequins actually originated from behind-the-scenes footage of a Russian TV series. (Source: Rossiya TV)

Wed, Apr 13, 2022

Russian War Report: Russia promotes misleading video accusing Ukraine of using mannequins as casualties

Kremlin-controlled TV network Rossiya 24 broadcast a misleading video claiming that mannequins were being used in Ukraine to stage war casualties.

by Digital Forensic Research Lab

Content moderator

Mon, Apr 11, 2022

Russian War Report: Facebook takes down inauthentic networks targeting Ukraine

Facebook removed an online Russian and Belarusian network targeting Ukrainians named Ghostwriter while more Russian Twitter accounts turn to VK and Telegram.

by Digital Forensic Research Lab

Fri, Apr 8, 2022

Russian War Report: Russia makes false claims while blaming Ukraine for Kramatorsk railway station attack

After missiles struck near Kramatorsk, Ukraine railway station, Russia tried to blame Ukraine for attacking its own people, a narrative pro-Kremlin media ran with.

by Digital Forensic Research Lab