Draft:OSINT for Ukraine

OSINT for Ukraine (stylised OSINT FOR UKRAINE, sometimes OFU) is an autonomous, non-profit organisation focused on using open-source intelligence (OSINT) to investigate international crimes committed on Ukrainian territory or against Ukrainian citizens, examine influence and disinformation operations across Europe, and provide various levels of OSINT training.[1]

It was founded in 2022,[2] shortly after the beginning of Russian invasion of Ukraine, by Deniz M. Dirisu, Vasile Popa, Alexander Rietveldt, and Ivan Kostiuk.

Open-source intelligence, or publicly available data, has been shown to play an unprecedented role in establishing evidence in Russian invasion of Ukraine.[3] [4] [5] Organisations like Bellingcat have published investigations[6] that utilise open-source intelligence, such as the one on Russian artillery strikes against Ukrainians [7].

OSINT FOR UKRAINE has collaborated on an investigation with Vitsche, the collective of Ukrainians living in Germany, titled 'Networks of Influence: The Russian Hand in German Politics'.[8]

'Project Mariupol: A Record of Evil' is OSINT FOR UKRAINE's interactive map, which uses open-source intelligence to record war crimes committed by Russia on Ukrainian territory: described by Human Rights Watch as 'massive loss of civilian life, infrastructure'.[9]

References edit

  1. ^ https://www.osintforukraine.com/
  2. ^ "Project Mariupol: A record of evil". 22 August 2022.
  3. ^ "What is open-source intelligence – and how is it helping to map the Ukraine war?". The Week. 10 March 2022.
  4. ^ "Open-source intelligence: How digital sleuths are making their mark on the Ukraine war". 18 March 2022.
  5. ^ "Europol sets up OSINT taskforce to support investigations into war crimes committed in Ukraine".
  6. ^ "Bellingcat Releases Report on Russian Artillery Strikes in Ukraine". 22 December 2016.
  7. ^ https://www.bellingcat.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/ArtilleryAttacks_withCover_EmbargoNote.pdf
  8. ^ "Networks of Influence: The Russian hand in German politics – VITSCHE". 25 October 2023.
  9. ^ "Ukraine: New Findings on Russia's Devastation of Mariupol | Human Rights Watch". 8 February 2024.