Research Methods

Facebook pages and groups involved in the scheme would post inspiring stories, like the celebration of a Ukrainian soldier’s birthday (left), and replace it with clickbait news coverage (right) once the original post garnered a critical mass of engagement.

Wed, Nov 2, 2022

Facebook pages used bait-and-switch to exploit sympathies for Ukraine war

DFRLab found emotionally charged Facebook posts about the Ukraine war were later edited to promote clickbait articles.

by Roman Osadchuk

Armenia Caucasus
A man walks by graffiti of the letter Z in St. Petersburg, March 4, 2022. The pro-war symbol is prominently featured on two of the ten most popular political Telegram channels in Russia.

Fri, Oct 21, 2022

What Russia reads on Telegram

Nine out of the top ten political Telegram channels in Russia spread Kremlin pro-war propaganda

by Eto Buziashvili

Disinformation Electorate
A family says farewell to their friends and families before departing for the UK at Hong Kong International Airport, July 18, 2021.

Thu, Oct 20, 2022

Chinese state media, content farms spread anti-UK narratives to halt Hong Kong emigration

Narratives amplified UK’s COVID challenges and presented its Hong Kong visa program as a scam.

by Kenton Thibaut

Asia Pacific China
Ukrainian first responders attempt to quash a fire ignited by a Russian missile attack in Zaporizhzhia, October, 11, 2022. (Source: State Emergency Service of Ukraine via Reuters Connect

Fri, Oct 14, 2022

Russian War Report: Russia escalates war by targeting cities across Ukraine

Russia escalated its war against Ukraine this week with missile attacks and airstrikes on cities across the country, including the first serious attack in the capital Kyiv in months.

by Digital Forensic Research Lab

Belarus Civil Society
Ceremony to declare Russia's annexation of four Ukrainian territories held in Moscow

Fri, Sep 30, 2022

Russian War Report: Putin illegally annexes Ukrainian territory

On September 30, Russian President Putin officially annexed four Ukrainian oblasts, incorporating them into Russia. The announcement was met with swift global condemnation.

by Digital Forensic Research Lab

US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi waves while leaving the parliament in Taipei, Taiwan, August 3, 2022.

Tue, Sep 13, 2022

How Chinese social media reacted to Nancy Pelosi’s Taiwan visit

Interest in Pelosi visit skyrocketed on Weibo before news fatigue set in.

by Digital Forensic Research Lab

China Disinformation
Ukrainian soldiers on patrol, August 29, 2022. (Source: Latin America News Agency via Reuters Connect)

Fri, Sep 2, 2022

Russian War Report: Ukraine counterattacks in Kherson as Russia prepares new deployments

Ukrainian forces targeted Russian military command-and-control elements in northwestern Kherson, while Russian forces attempted a limited ground assault in the same area.

by Digital Forensic Research Lab

Polish MP Grzegorz Braun, second from the left, at the launch of a political initiative in Rzeszow, Poland, July 25, 2022. Braun’s Twitter account was among a handful of authentic accounts that sought to amplify the #StopUkrainizacjiPolski hashtag, which reached Poland’s Trending list largely through inauthentic amplification. (Source: Reuters, Artur Widak/NurPhoto)

Tue, Aug 30, 2022

Twitter campaign pushes anti-Ukraine hashtag into Poland’s trending list

Largely inauthentic campaign pushed #StopUkrainizacjiPolski to the top of Poland’s trending list over the course of four days.

by Givi Gigitashvili

Brigading Conflict
Smoke rises after explosions were heard from the direction of a Russian military airbase near Novofedorivka, Crimea, August 9, 2022. (Source: Reuters)

Fri, Aug 12, 2022

Russian War Report: Satellite imagery confirms destruction of aircraft at Crimea airbase

Satellite imagery confirms the destruction of Crimea's Saki airbase and debunking "Ukraine sells weapons" narratives.

by Digital Forensic Research Lab

Fri, Jul 29, 2022

Russian War Report: Russia minimizes Ukrainian damage of strategic bridge in Kherson

During a video speech on July 27, Ukrainian President Volodymir Zelenskyy stated that the Ukrainian military had disabled the Antonovsky bridge in Kherson to the point that was no longer usable by occupying Russian forces. The bridge has been targeted by Ukrainian forces for more than a week. While it remains standing, it has been hit multiple times by high-precision HIMARS munitions provided by the US.  

by Digital Forensic Research Lab

Conflict Crisis Management

Fri, Jul 22, 2022

Russia War Report: Russia accuses Ukraine of creating ‘monster’ troops in biolabs

Russian officials are spreading the newest iteration of the conspiracy that suggests the United States is running secret biolabs in Ukraine, this time suggesting that Ukraine has created experimental “monster” troops.

by Digital Forensic Research Lab

Conflict Crisis Management

Thu, Jul 7, 2022

Russian War Report: Ukraine uses HIMARS effectively to hit Russian ammo dumps

As Russia continues its assault on Ukraine, the Atlantic Council’s Digital Forensic Research Lab (DFRLab) is keeping a close eye on Russia’s movements across the military, cyber, and information domains. With more than seven years of experience monitoring the situation in Ukraine—as well as Russia’s use of propaganda and disinformation to undermine the United States, NATO, and the European Union—the DFRLab’s global team presents the latest installment of the Russian War Report.

by Digital Forensic Research Lab

Conflict CrowdTangle