Recent analysis

Programs

The Atlantic Council Technology Programs comprises five existing efforts—the Digital Forensic Research Lab (DFRLab), the GeoTech Center, the Cyber Statecraft Initiative, the Democracy + Tech Initiative, and the Capacity Building Initiative. These operations work together to address the geopolitical implications of technology and provide policymakers and global stakeholders necessary research, insights, and convenings to address challenges around global technology and ensure its responsible advancement.

Content

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

New Atlanticist

Oct 14, 2022

Russian War Report: Russia escalates war by targeting cities across Ukraine

By Digital Forensic Research Lab

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.

Conflict Digital Policy

UkraineAlert

Oct 12, 2022

No, Russia’s airstrike escalation is not retaliation for the Crimean Bridge

By Razom Advocacy Team

International media coverage depicting Russia's recent airstrike escalation as retaliation for the alleged Ukrainian attack on the Crimean Bridge risks creating false equivalency over Vladimir Putin's war of aggression.

Conflict Disinformation
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)

New Atlanticist

Oct 7, 2022

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

By Digital Forensic Research Lab

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.

Conflict Disinformation

UkraineAlert

Oct 5, 2022

Memo to Elon Musk: Only Ukrainian victory can stop Vladimir Putin

By Doug Klain

Elon Musk recently became the latest high-profile figure to argue that Ukraine should cede land to Russia in exchange for peace. These advocates of appeasement fail to grasp the genocidal nature of Vladimir Putin's war.

Conflict Disinformation

UkraineAlert

Sep 30, 2022

Putin denounces imperialism while annexing large swathes of Ukraine

By Peter Dickinson

Russian President Vladimir Putin has officially annexed four regions of Ukraine while denouncing Western imperialism and proclaiming Russia as the leader of a global "anti-colonialism movement."

Conflict Democratic Transitions
Ceremony to declare Russia's annexation of four Ukrainian territories held in Moscow

New Atlanticist

Sep 30, 2022

Russian War Report: Putin illegally annexes Ukrainian territory

By DFRLab

On September 30, Russian President Putin officially annexed four Ukrainian oblasts, incorporating them into Russia. The announcement was met with swift global condemnation.

Conflict Disinformation

Hybrid Conflict Project

Sep 30, 2022

How the US can focus its fight against foreign influence operations

By Jennifer A. Counter

Understanding exactly what US adversaries plan to do in the information space is vital to building domestic defenses.

Conflict Cybersecurity

UkraineAlert

Sep 29, 2022

Referendum coverage proves media is still vulnerable to Russian disinformation

By Peter Dickinson

International coverage of Russia's sham referendums in occupied regions of Ukraine has served to highlight the continued influence of Kremlin disinformation at some of the world's leading media outlets, writes Peter Dickinson.

Conflict Disinformation

UkraineAlert

Sep 26, 2022

From the UN to The Late Show, Ukraine’s diplomats are winning

By Pete Shmigel

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba recently quipped at the UN that "Russian diplomats flee almost as aptly as Russian soldiers.” This one-liner was typical of the creative diplomacy that is bolstering Ukraine's war effort.

Conflict Democratic Transitions
Conscripts board a train carriage at a local railway station during their departure for the garrisons, in Omsk

New Atlanticist

Sep 23, 2022

Russian War Report: Russia conducts partial mobilization amid battlefield losses

By Digital Forensic Research Lab

As Ukraine's advances into its eastern territory put Russia under additional pressure, Putin declared a partial mobilization in the country.

Conflict Disinformation

Experts