Security & Defense

Tue, Feb 22, 2022

Russian War Report: Despite debunking of false flags, Putin recognizes breakaway republics

The Council's open-source researchers break down how the Kremlin is seeking to justify incursions in Ukraine, and where the troops are moving.

by Digital Forensic Research Lab

Fri, Feb 18, 2022

Russian War Report: Evacuations begin in Ukrainian breakaway regions

The Atlantic Council’s Digital Forensic Research Lab tracks Kremlin allegations of mass graves in Donbas, troop movements, and more.

by Digital Forensic Research Lab

Residents of Donetsk line up at an ATM machine after receiving evacuation orders on February 18, 2022.

Fri, Feb 18, 2022

How ten false flag narratives were promoted by pro-Kremlin media

Russian media actively portrays the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics as victims of Ukrainian aggression.

by Givi Gigitashvili, Roman Osadchuk

Disinformation Government
People gather in support of a coup that ousted President Roch Kabore in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, January 25, 2022.

Thu, Feb 17, 2022

Local support for Russia increased on Facebook before Burkina Faso military coup

Pro-Russian support increased in the Sahel, with residents of Burkina Faso holding Russian flags while celebrating recent coup.

by Tessa Knight and Allan Cheboi

Africa Conflict

Tue, Feb 15, 2022

Russian War Report: Military camps close in on border as Kremlin accelerates false-flag narratives

While the Kremlin announced that some units have begun loading equipment onto trains to return to their bases, the DFRLab continues to observe other units positioning themselves closer to Ukraine's northeast border with Russia.

by Digital Forensic Research Lab

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: Missile battalion confirmed in Belarus 

The Council’s Digital Forensic Research Lab tracks the latest Russian military movements and other developments in the Kremlin's hybrid war against Ukraine.

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

Tue, Feb 1, 2022

Russian War Report: Will Moscow provide weapons and passports to breakaway Ukrainian regions?

The Council’s Digital Forensic Research Lab is tracking the latest on Russia moving blood and food supplies to the front, narratives in Kremlin-tied media, and more.

by Digital Forensic Research Lab

Fri, Jan 28, 2022

Russian War Report: Kremlin pushes claims about Ukrainian offensive, ‘junk’ weapons from West

The Council's Digital Forensic Research Lab is tracking the latest from Russian troop movements to social media conspiracy theories to Duma debates.

by Digital Forensic Research Lab

Screencap of video showing Russian armor in a field near Rechitsa.

Thu, Jan 27, 2022

Russian equipment flows into Belarus

Russia continues to move tanks and other materiel into Belarus along Ukraine’s northern border, as far west as Brest.

by Digital Forensic Research Lab

Belarus Conflict
russian troops

Tue, Jan 25, 2022

Russian War Report: A push to recognize Ukrainian regions as independent states

Amid a legislative push to recognize the regions of Donetsk and Luhansk as independent states, Russia is spinning narratives of NATO aggression and continuing to mass troops and materiel near Ukraine.

by Digital Forensic Research Lab