• 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.

June 2023

Russian War Report: Wagner attempts to draft gamers as drone pilots

by Digital Forensic Research Lab

Russian PMC Wagner Group is encouraging gamers to apply to serve as drone pilots in the war against Ukraine while Ukrainian forces advance on the eastern front.
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June 2023

Russian War Report: Anti-Ukrainian counteroffensive narratives fail to go viral

by Digital Forensic Research Lab

As the Ukrainian counteroffensive continues in Ukraine's south and east, false narratives calling it unsuccessful fail to gain traction on Twitter.
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June 2023

Russian War Report: Satellite imagery analysis captures flood threat after dam’s destruction

by Digital Forensic Research Lab

Satellite imagery of the Nova Kakhovka dam's collapse reveals the extent of the damage caused by extreme flooding in Kherson Oblast.
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