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

The 5×5

Mar 21, 2022

The 5×5—Russia’s cyber statecraft

By Simon Handler

Five experts share their perspectives on what recent cyber developments related to Russia's war in Ukraine indicate about Russian cyber behavior.

Belarus Conflict

UkraineAlert

Mar 19, 2022

Putin drank the Kremlin Kool-Aid

By Taras Kuzio

Russian President Vladimir Putin drank the Kremlin Kool-Aid and seems to have sincerely believed his disastrous Ukraine war would be an imperial triumph with minimal costs on the domestic and international fronts.

Conflict Disinformation

In the News

Mar 18, 2022

Brooks on Real Time with Bill Maher on US cybersecurity

By Atlantic Council

Max Brooks discusses US cybersecurity and Russian gray zone operations on Real Time with Bill Maher.

Cybersecurity Disinformation
Servicemen of the military forces of South Ossetia attend an oath of allegiance ceremony in Tskhinvali, the capital of the breakaway region of South Ossetia, Georgia, July 5, 2015.

New Atlanticist

Mar 18, 2022

Russian War Report: Russia sends military contractors from Georgian breakaway region to Ukraine

By Digital Forensic Research Lab

Military contractors from South Ossetia, Belarus' hesitancy to send troops, VPN's, the dilemma US tech companies face over Russian citizens' access, and more.

Belarus China

UkraineAlert

Mar 18, 2022

Why Russia’s anti-war movement matters

By Dylan Myles-Primakoff

While opinion polls consistently indicate strong Russian public support for Putin's Ukraine War, the country's anti-war movement also matters and may actually be larger than it at first appears.

Civil Society Conflict

UkraineAlert

Mar 17, 2022

Vladimir Putin’s war to crush Ukraine is part of a long Kremlin tradition

By Kristina Hook

Vladimir Putin's war in Ukraine has stunned the world with its criminal brutality but the Russian invasion is actually very much in line with a long tradition of Kremlin policies aimed at crushing Ukraine.

Conflict Disinformation
A deepfake of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy that aired on a hacked Ukrainian 24 newscast.

New Atlanticist

Mar 16, 2022

Russian War Report: Hacked news program and deepfake video spread false Zelenskyy claims

By Digital Forensic Research Lab

A deep fake of President Zelenskyy, Russia threatens to block YouTube, and an information fog surrounding the Russian TV journalist who conducted on-air protest.

Belarus Conflict

In the News

Mar 16, 2022

Konaev in Stars and Stripes on counting Ukrainian causalities

By Atlantic Council

Margarita Konaev discusses how difficult it is to accurately count the number of combatant causalities due to country's tendency to underestimate.

Conflict Disinformation
A satellite image shows ground forces equipment and a convoy, in Khilchikha, Belarus February 28, 2022. Satellite image 2022 Maxar Technologies/Handout via REUTERS

New Atlanticist

Mar 14, 2022

Russian War Report: Russian false-flag operation seeks to drag Belarus into Ukraine war

By Digital Forensic Research Lab

Ukrainian media reported that Russia attacked a Belarusian village from Ukrainian airspace in an attempt to make it appear that Ukraine had attacked Belarus and provoke Belarusian President Lukashenka to move troops into Ukraine. 

Belarus Conflict

In-Depth Research & Reports

Mar 14, 2022

Targeting Ukraine through Washington: Russian election interference, Ukraine, and the 2024 US election 

By Gavin Wilde and Justin Sherman

US officials should recognize that Ukraine’s trajectory has always been a centerpiece of Russian interference in US elections. Doing so should guide US policymakers’ observations of what is happening now in Ukraine—and their preparations for what promises to be a climactic 2024 US election cycle.

Cybersecurity Disinformation

Experts