• Resident Fellow for Security Research

Ruslan Trad

Ruslan Trad is a Resident Fellow for Security Research at the Atlantic Council’s Digital Forensic Research Lab (DFRLab).

Ruslan is interested in Eurasia, Syria, conflicts, hybrid warfare, and mercenary groups. Before joining DFRLab, he worked as a risk analyst, consultant, and freelance journalist. In recent years, he has worked in the field of OSINT investigations and due diligence reports. Ruslan is also author and co-author of three books and a wide range of articles related to the Syrian Civil War, Russian foreign policy, and security.

Ruslan is a member of the Association of European Journalists–Bulgaria and is co-founder of De Re Militari, a Bulgarian online journal for conflict analysis. During his journalism career he was a correspondent in several countries including Lebanon, Turkey, Iraqi Kurdistan, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, and Thailand.

In 2014 Ruslan was awarded Activist of the Year by the Helsinki Committee for his Syria war coverage. Ruslan’s articles can be found in Bellingcat, BBC, Carnegie Middle East Center, New Lines Magazine, Die Presse, European Eye on Radicalization, Vocal Europe, Bild, Vocativ, IB Times, Der Standard, Muftah, Internazionale, Al Jazeera, and others.

July 2023

Russian War Report: Kremlin seeks stronger ties in Africa as Wagner eyes Niger coup

by Digital Forensic Research Lab

As Russian president Vladimir Putin attends the Russia-Africa Summit, he and his government are making moves to solidify regional cooperation. Amid this, Wagner seeks to capitalize on the coup in Niger.
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July 2023

Russian War Report: Wagner is still in business in Africa

by Digital Forensic Research Lab

Despite their Russia-based forces being relocated to Belarus after their failed mutiny, Wagner Group is still alive and active in Africa, including ahead of a referendum in the Central African Republic.
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July 2023

Russian War Report: Russian airstrike hits humanitarian aid station

by Digital Forensic Research Lab

Russian offensives in Donetsk and Luhansk left several villages damaged from shelling while a Russian airstrike destroyed an aid station in Zaporizhzhia.
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