Middle East

DFRLab satellite analysis shows increased Russian aerial activity on the Saki military airbase in western Crimea. (Source: DFRLab via Planet.com)

Fri, Mar 3, 2023

Russian War Report: DFRLab confirms increased Russian air force activity as Kremlin strives to achieve air dominance

Russia intensified its air power in recent weeks across airfields in Crimea and Rostov Oblast. Elsewhere, Russia continues to pressure Bahkmut.

by Digital Forensic Research Lab

Wed, Mar 1, 2023

Networks of pro-Kremlin Telegram channels spread disinformation at a global scale

Three networks comprising fifty-six channels targeted Telegram users in twenty countries and ten languages

by Nika Aleksejeva, Sayyara Mammadova

API Asia
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
Ukrainian soldier with his weapon in a wooden cottage near the Donbas frontlines, Donetsk. (Source: Celestino Arce/NurPhoto via Reuters Connect)

Fri, Dec 16, 2022

Russian War Report: Fierce fighting in Donetsk despite the onset of winter

While many had hoped Winter would slow the fighting in Ukraine, the conflict has continued and, in some cases including in Donetsk, intensified.

by Digital Forensic Research Lab

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
Ukrainians people living in Krakow and their supporters are seen during the Solidarity With Ukraine protest in Krakow's Main Square, on the 232nd day of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Fri, Nov 11, 2022

Russian War Report: Ukrainians celebrate in Kherson as Russia evacuates the city

As Russian forces retreat from Kherson, Ukrainians celebrate online and in-person. While the overall status of the withdrawal remains in flux, today’s footage shows Russia is no longer in control of the central parts of Kherson. 

by Digital Forensic Research Lab

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
A person wearing Guy Fawkes mask, attends a solidarity protest for Mahsa Amini in Washington DC on October 1, 2022.

Thu, Oct 13, 2022

Analysis: Why Iranian protesters are embracing Anonymous

The decentralized hacker movement has vowed to free the people of Iran, mirroring chants of protesters on the street

by Simin Kargar

Civil Society Electorate
Footage shows the aftermath of the morning shelling in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, on Thursday Oct 6, 2022. 7 missile strikes on Zaporizhzhia! Destroyed residential buildings, according to the State Emergency Service of Ukraine. Rescue workers are now combing through the shattered remains of one elegant five-storey apartment building. Zaporizhzhia regional head Oleksandr Starukh said one woman was killed. Another seven people, including a three-year-old child, were injured. The Ukrainian-held city is the capital of the eponymous Zaporizhzhia region, which Russian President Vladimir Putin earlier this week declared annexed, along with three other Ukrainian regions - Donetsk and Luhansk in the east, and Kherson in the south. Ukraine and its Western allies condemned the move. Moscow does not fully control any of the four regions, and in recent weeks Ukrainian troops have made significant advances in the the country's north-east and south. (State Emergency Service of Ukraine via EYEPRESS)

Fri, Oct 7, 2022

Russian War Report: Ukraine recaptures territory as Russia uses Iranian drone near Kyiv

Russia has began its use of Iranian-made drones to try and slow the Ukrainian counter-offensive, a mass grave found near Lyman, and Russian Telegram praises the “pro-Russia” coup in Burkina Faso.

by Digital Forensic Research Lab

Africa Conflict

Fri, Jul 8, 2022

Wagner Group continues involvement in Russian operations in Eastern Ukraine

Russian mercenaries maintaining a relatively low profile in Ukraine, unlike their presence in Africa and Syria.

by Ruslan Trad

Africa Conflict
Map of the global south in which China uses discourse power.

Wed, Apr 20, 2022

China’s discourse power operations in the Global South

An overview of China’s discourse power activities in the Global South, including the regions of Sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America, and the Middle East. It outlines the processes through which China leverages its diplomatic, media, and political positions in these regions to gain influence, and assesses the impacts of these activities for democratic resilience worldwide.

by Kenton Thibaut

Screencap of a now-deleted post from the Rafik Lutf page alleging that the first Syrian soldier had been killed in Ukraine. The claim was debunked, as the soldier in the photo had died in 2015.

Fri, Mar 18, 2022

Fake posts recruiting Syrians to fight in Ukraine flood Facebook groups

Scammers exploit dire economic conditions by promising high salaries to Syrians who join Russian forces in Ukraine.

by Layla Mashkoor

Conflict Disinformation