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

UkraineAlert

Jul 13, 2022

Putin weaponizes Russian passports in his genocidal war against Ukraine

By Peter Dickinson

Vladimir Putin's decision to expand fast-track Russian passport distribution to the whole of Ukraine is a clear signal that his imperial appetite is not limited to the Ukrainian regions currently under Kremlin control.

Conflict Disinformation
Ukrainian forces deploy a HIMARS precision rocket launching system on July 5, 2022. (Source: EYEPRESS via Reuters Connect)

New Atlanticist

Jul 8, 2022

Russian War Report: Ukraine uses HIMARS effectively to hit Russian ammo dumps

By Digital Forensic Research Lab

Ukranian forces are using M142 HIMARS multiple rocket launchers to systematically target Russian ammunition storage facilities behind the frontlines.  

Disinformation Migration

New Atlanticist

Jul 5, 2022

Winning friends and influencing Russians: Three audiences the US should target

By Irina Plaks

The Biden administration needs an offensive strategy that prioritizes transparency and truth to defeat Russian aggression.

Civil Society Disinformation

UkraineAlert

Jul 3, 2022

Putin’s poisonous anti-Western ideology relies heavily on projection

By Allan Mustard

Vladimir Putin's poisonous anti-Western ideology is rooted in projection of his own authoritarian instincts and outdated assumptions about the adversarial nature of relations between Russia and the democratic world.

Conflict Democratic Transitions
New satellite imagery taken this morning June 30, 2022 shows smoke coming from the contested Snake Island (45.255721, 30.204173) which Russia announced its withdrawal from June 30. Russian forces have left Snake Island in the Black Sea, the Ukrainian Armed Forces said on Thursday June 30, after carrying out what they said was a successful operation. The Ukrainian Armed Forces said that the enemy hastily evacuated the remnants of the garrison in two speedboats and probably left the island. (Maxar via EYEPRESS)

New Atlanticist

Jul 1, 2022

Russian War Report: Russia claims Snake Island losses were ‘gesture of goodwill’

By Digital Forensic Research Lab

Plus, Russian diplomatic accounts spread a questionable story about anti-Russian stickers placed at an Auschwitz memorial.

Conflict Cybersecurity

UkraineAlert

Jul 1, 2022

With all eyes on Ukraine, Vladimir Putin targets domestic dissidents

By Doug Klain

While international attention focuses on Vladimir Putin’s genocidal war in Ukraine, the Russian government is accelerating its brutal crackdown on any remaining expressions of anti-regime dissent on the domestic front.

Civil Society Conflict

UkraineAlert

Jun 30, 2022

Goodwill gestures and de-Nazification: Decoding Putin’s Ukraine War lexicon

By Peter Dickinson

From “goodwill gestures” to “de-Nazification” and “reclaiming Russian lands,” the Atlantic Council's Peter Dickinson decodes some of the key phrases from the lexicon of Putin’s Ukraine War into plain English.

Central Asia Conflict

UkraineAlert

Jun 29, 2022

Vladimir Putin’s Ukrainian genocide is proceeding in plain view

By Taras Kuzio

Western policymakers should be in no doubt that the many different Russian war crimes currently taking place in Ukraine are all part of a coherent plan developed by Vladimir Putin to commit genocide.

Civil Society Conflict

UkraineAlert

Jun 27, 2022

Odesa rejects Russia: Putin’s Ukraine War turns old allies into bitter enemies

By Oleksiy Goncharenko

Putin has long claimed to be the champion of pro-Russian Ukrainians. However, the Ukrainian regions most closely associated with pro-Kremlin sentiment have also been hardest hit by the current invasion.

Conflict Disinformation

New Atlanticist

Jun 24, 2022

Russian War Report: Pro-Kremlin Russian outlet refers to Russian troops in Mariupol as ‘occupiers’ 

By Digital Forensic Research Lab

News outlet Moskovsky Komsomolets published an article that referred to Russian soldiers in Mariupol as "occupiers," but it was quickly deleted. Meanwhile, fires strike Russian oil and power plants, and Chinese media report on Russia-Lithuania dispute.

China Conflict

Experts