Social Media

Sat, Feb 25, 2023

Russian War Report: DFRLab releases investigations on Russian info ops before and after the invasion

On the week of the one year anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the DFRLab released two new reports on narratives tracked used to justify the war both pre- and post invasion.

by Digital Forensic Research Lab

Bohdan, 'Fritz', the unit commander's deputy in the 79th Air Assault Brigade, fires a rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) towards Russian positions on a front line near the town of Marinka, in the middle of the Russia attack on Ukraine, Donetsk region, Ukraine, February 14, 2023. REUTERS/Marko Djurica

Sat, Feb 18, 2023

Russian War Report: Failed Russian push on Vuhledar results in losses as Moscow increases troops

Vuhledar, a town connecting the northern and southern flanks, has been under an unsuccessful attack from Russian forces for two weeks.

by Digital Forensic Research Lab

Thu, Feb 9, 2023

Data leak suggests crackdown on anti-war social media posts by Russia’s telecom regulator

Roskomnadzor reportedly deleted 150,000 anti-war posts and intends to deploy bot farms to censor anti-war content

by Valentin Châtelet

Belarus Digital Policy
Participants walk past a screen displaying the RUTUBE logo at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum in Saint Petersburg, Russia ,June 17, 2022. (Source: Reuters/Anton Vaganov)

Mon, Jan 30, 2023

How Russian YouTube copycat RUTUBE promotes pro-Kremlin narratives

RUTUBE’s mix of Kremlin narratives and entertainment has seen a surge of referral traffic since Russia’s February 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

by Digital Forensic Research Lab

Business Disinformation
Satellite image captures military transport aircraft at Russia’s Tsentralny military air base. (Source: Planet.com/DFRLab)

Fri, Jan 27, 2023

Russian War Report: Pro-Kremlin sources amplify forged diplomatic letters targeting Ukrainian refugees

As Russian shelling of Ukranian forces and civilian infrastructure continues, Ukraine receives the first of many tanks promised by NATO allies.

by Digital Forensic Research Lab

Screenshot of an animated video produced by the Wagner Group showing soldiers fighting French 'zombies' in West Africa.

Fri, Jan 20, 2023

Russian War Report: Wagner Group fights French ‘zombies’ in cartoon propaganda

Plus, more on Wagner's power struggles with the Russian defense ministry and Russia's apparent use of incendiary munitions in Kherson.

by Digital Forensic Research Lab

Congregants attend an Orthodox Christmas Eve service in a chapel located in a former residential building in the town of Volnovakha, Russian-controlled Donetsk, January 6, 2023. (SOURCE: Reuters/Alexander Ermochenko/TPX)

Fri, Jan 6, 2023

Russian War Report: Russian military bloggers criticize Putin’s Orthodox Christmas ceasefire announcement

In the first days of 2023, Russia shelled civilian infrastructure in Ukraine before Russian President Putin called for a 36 hour ceasefire to observe Orthodox Christmas.

by Digital Forensic Research Lab

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy holds a national flag as he visits a position of Ukrainian service members in the frontline town of Bakhmut, Donetsk Oblast, December 20, 2022. (Source: Ukrainian Presidential Press Service/Handout via Reuters Connect)

Thu, Dec 22, 2022

2022 at the DFRLab: a year in review

In 2022, the Digital Forensic Research Lab investigated online harms and documented stories of resilience from Ukraine to Uvalde.

by Andy Carvin

Africa Americas
Vladimir Putin addresses RT staff in Moscow at an event celebrating the tenth anniversary of the network, December 10, 2015.

Wed, Nov 30, 2022

Analizando el volumen de las narrativas del Kremlin dirigidas al mundo hispanohablante

La interacción con los contenidos de RT en español disminuyó en Facebook, pero continúa floreciendo en Twitter

by Esteban Ponce de León

API Conflict
Vladimir Putin addresses RT staff in Moscow at an event celebrating the tenth anniversary of the network, December 10, 2015.

Wed, Nov 30, 2022

Analyzing the volume of Kremlin narratives targeting the Spanish-speaking world

Engagement with RT en Español content decreased on Facebook but continues to flourish on Twitter

by Esteban Ponce de León

API Conflict
Anti-LGBTQ counter-protesters stomp on a rainbow flag during a protest by gay rights activists in central Moscow, June 11, 2013. (Source: Reuters/Maxim Shemetov)

Fri, Nov 18, 2022

Russian War Report: Russia defends ‘traditional values,’ criminalizes LGBTQ ‘propaganda’

After two Polish citizens were killed by a missile, Poland and NATO both say the hit was not a Russian attack.

by Digital Forensic Research Lab

Central Europe Civil Society
People gather during a protest held by supporters of Brazil’s President Jair Bolsonaro at the Army headquarters in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, November 15, 2022. The sign reads: “SOS Army Forces.” (Source: REUTERS/Pilar Olivares)

Fri, Nov 18, 2022

Election fraud narratives surge on Brazilian Twitter following Bolsonaro defeat

#BrazilWasStolen hashtag spreads across Twitter and other platforms.

by Esteban Ponce de León

Brazil Disinformation