Europe & Eurasia

Russian paratroopers walk past an Ilyushin Il-76 transport plane during ZAPAD 21 exercises in Kaliningrad Oblast, Russia, September 13, 2021. Satellite imagery suggests that drones destroyed four 1l-76 transports at Pskov airport on August 29, 2023. (Source: Reuters/Vitaly Nevar)

Tue, Sep 12, 2023

Russian media spread rumors accusing Baltic states of drone attack

Unsupported claims from Russian media and Telegram blamed Latvia and Estonia for perpetrating August 29 attack on Pskov airport

by Valentin Châtelet, Sayyara Mammadova

Baltics Estonia
2022-08-26T093420Z_1266290118_MT1EYEIM251957_RTRMADP_3_RUSSIA-CONTROLLED-ZAPORIZHZHIA-NUCLEAR-PLANT-1024x576

Thu, Sep 7, 2023

Russian War Report: A new recruitment push for fighters from Russia to Hungary

The Russian National Guard and a private Hungarian foreign legion have launched campaigns to recruit soldiers to fight in Ukraine.

by Digital Forensic Research Lab

Conflict Facebook
President of Brazil Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, President of China Xi Jinping, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi and Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov pose for a BRICS family photo during the 2023 BRICS Summit at the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg, South Africa, on August 23, 2023. (Source: Gianluigi Guercia/Pool via Reuters/File Photo)

Wed, Sep 6, 2023

Pro-Russian BRICS narratives in Latin America prospered during summit lead-up

In the six months ahead of the BRICS summit, narratives about a new multipolar world and the fall of US hegemony trended in Spanish-speaking Latin America information space

by Iria Puyosa

Argentina Brazil

Tue, Sep 5, 2023

Anti-Ukraine Telegram network targets audiences in nine languages

Network is linked to a former member of the Security Service of Ukraine

by Givi Gigitashvili

Disinformation Facebook

Thu, Aug 17, 2023

Prigozhin-owned media outlets experienced narrative whiplash during and after Wagner mutiny

Online outlets operated by Prigozhin’s Patriot Media Group initially supported his actions, but switched to pro-Putin rhetoric once the mutiny ended

by Givi Gigitashvili

Conflict Disinformation
Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin leaves the headquarters of the Southern Military District amid the group's pullout from the city of Rostov-on-Don, Russia, June 24, 2023. (Source: Reuters/Alexander Ermochenko)

Thu, Aug 17, 2023

How Russian pro-war Telegram channels addressed the Wagner mutiny

Wagner-affiliated Telegram channels saw tremendous growth as some pro-war channels vacillated on which side to support

by Givi Gigitashvili, Ani Mejlumyan, Roman Osadchuk

Propaganda Russia
A still image from a bodycam footage, released by Russia's Defence Ministry, shows what it said to be crew members kneeling down in a cockpit during an operation held by Russian navy officers to board the Palau-flagged Sukru Okan vessel with the help of a Ka-29 military helicopter in the Black Sea on August 13, 2023, in this image taken from video published August 15, 2023. Russian Defence Ministry/Handout via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. NO RESALES. NO ARCHIVES. MANDATORY CREDIT. WATERMARK FROM SOURCE.

Thu, Aug 17, 2023

Russian War Report: Tensions escalate in the Black Sea as the Russian navy forcefully inspects a civilian cargo ship

Russia escalated tensions beyond Ukraine again this week when its navy forcibly inspected and fired warning shots at a civilian cargo ship.

by Digital Forensic Research Lab

Conflict Digital Policy
Russian President Vladimir Putin (L) listens to Arkady Volozh, Chief Executive Officer of Yandex, as he visits the headquarters of the company in Moscow, Russia September 21, 2017. Sputnik/Alexei Druzhinin/Kremlin via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY.

Thu, Aug 10, 2023

Russian War Report: Co-founder of Russia’s most popular search engine condemns war in Ukraine

A co-founder of Yandex, Russia's primary search engine, issued a public statement of opposition to the war in Ukraine and acknowledging his "share of responsibility."

by Digital Forensic Research Lab

Conflict Human Rights
People attend a vigil at St Peter's church in Nottingham, UK after three people were killed in the city center, June 13, 2023. (Source: Reuters)

Fri, Aug 4, 2023

UK murders spur xenophobic narratives and conspiracy theories

The murders, allegedly committed by an immigrant of West African descent, led to broader campaign of dehumanization of migrants and calls for closed borders

by Meghan Conroy, Private: Tessa Knight

Civil Society Human Rights
People in Taunton, UK watch on a large screen the funeral service for Barnaby Webber, one of the victims of the Nottingham attack, July 14, 2023. (Source: Reuters)

Fri, Aug 4, 2023

Nottingham murders serve as rallying point for far-right UK influencers

Anti-immigrant influencers weaponized immigration status of the accused murderer to spread racist, Islamophobic rhetoric

by Meghan Conroy, Private: Tessa Knight

Civil Society Europe
Members of security services investigate a damaged office building in the Moscow City following a reported Ukrainian drone attack in Moscow Russia, August 1, 2023. REUTERS/Evgenia Novozhenina

Thu, Aug 3, 2023

Russian War Report: Drones target central Moscow skyscrapers

Drone strikes hit central Moscow this week killing none but damaging a skyscraper. Meanwhile, TGStat has restricted access to a Telegram channel that tracks Russian casualties.

by Digital Forensic Research Lab

Belarus Conflict
Photo of the late Orthodox priest, Iona Ignatenko, whose image was used in a Facebook scheme to get people to subscribe to dubious Telegram channels.

Tue, Aug 1, 2023

Clickbait Facebook pages trick Ukrainians into following dubious Telegram channels

Pages employ bait-and-switch tactics and cascading subscription requests to lure people to join more channels

by Roman Osadchuk

Facebook Telegram
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