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When Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, open source investigative techniques – or OSINT – entered the mainstream, with journalists and analysts around the world turning to these tools to track troop movements and investigate potential war crimes. Three years on, we ask CIR staff how OSINT has altered perceptions of the war and shaped reporting.

Open source data reveals the devastation to critical infrastructure and services in Ukraine, with schools, hospitals and energy facilities among the buildings and structures damaged since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine three years ago.

Multiple videos show the men’s last moments, as they kneel or lie on the ground with their hands on their heads or behind their backs.  

Russian forces have dramatically escalated their use of drone-dropped munitions in Kherson, described by locals as a “human safari”.

Open source investigators verify over 2,600 attacks on Ukraine’s hospitals, schools, churches and energy supply since Russian invasion

Starting in the last week of October, CIR observed a growing number of videos of Russian Shahed and Geran One Way Attack (OWA) drones flying at extremely low altitudes over Ukraine, in particular over the capital city, Kyiv. CIR assesses that the recent increase in numbers of drones being launched at Ukraine may be an attempt to deplete Ukraine’s air defence stocks. Additionally, Russia’s last large-scale missile strike against Ukraine occurred in August 2024 and CIR assesses that Russia has possibly been building up their missile stocks for a renewed campaign over the winter period.

Hostile rhetoric on Russian state-controlled TV tried to lay the foundation for widespread acceptance of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

CIR collaborated with DW to investigate the targeting of civilians and vehicles in the Ukrainian city of Beryslav.

On 22 March 2024, Russia launched a wave of attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure, hitting the hydroelectric power plant in Zaporizhzhia in the early hours of the morning.

Avdiivka, a small city 13 kilometres to the north of Donetsk city, has been at the forefront of Russia’s war in Ukraine since 2014. Prior to the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, fighting for the city was emblematic of the broader war in the Donbas and centred on the city’s industrial zone to the south-east. Occasional flare-ups between Russian-backed separatists and Ukrainian forces (such as in January-February 2017) would result in the shelling of the residential areas of Avdiivka, however this was irregular.

By Pierre Vaux. This report includes links to graphic footage showing injured civilians and damage to civilian infrastructure. Summary On...

The full-scale invasion of Ukraine by Russia and its allied forces since 2022 has caused countless deaths, destruction of homes, mass displacement and possible war crimes.

Documenting, investigating and advocating for the end of the conflict in Ukraine has become the focus of the international community.