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Illustration of Russian and Ukraine flag combined. Text on the flags read: Investigating Russia & the War on Ukraine

Guide

Investigating Russia and the War in Ukraine

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Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, GIJN has published a series of stories and tipsheets for investigative journalists covering the war. This includes a wide range range of topics, from tracking Russian assets to investigating war crimes.

Below you’ll find a list of the useful resources produced by GIJN or reposted from our members and partner organizations. All of these stories have been translated to Russian.

Check back for updates.

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Chapters

Chapter Guide Resource

Lessons Learned from Syrian Journalists Investigating Russian War Crimes

Syrian journalists have gained extensive experience documenting possible human rights violations and war crimes by the Russian military. GIJN spoke with several of these reporters to understand the lessons they learned, and how investigative journalists can cover the Ukraine invasion more effectively.

Chapter Guide Resource

Investigating Russia Around the World: A GIJN Toolkit

GIJN has assembled a kind of starter-toolkit to help journalists track Russian money, political interference, and disinformation in their own countries. From oligarch planes to sanctions trackers, you’ll find over 30 useful sites here.

Chapter Guide Resource

15 Tips for Investigating War Crimes

Reporting violations in an active conflict, previously a daunting and life threatening task, has now become easier thanks to open-source reporting techniques, which provide investigative journalists much greater ability to investigate war crimes as they happen.

Chapter Guide Resource

Essential Steps for Journalists in Emergency Situations

Journalists receiving threats often have to flee their homes in a matter of a few hours. Conflicts, though, are often foreseeable and that’s why those in fragile regions should have an exit plan in place and crucial documents ready to go. We’ve listed what documents journalists should gather as well as which organizations support journalists with relocation.

Chapter Guide Resource

Bellingcat’s Grozev on Investigating Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine

Christo Grozev, the executive director of Bellingcat, gives his insights for covering the Russian invasion of Ukraine. He talks about how the role of reporters has changed in modern day conflict, and reveals how his team is gathering and verifying data while focusing on investigating potential war crimes.

Chapter Guide Resource

Tips for Archiving Telegram Messages on Russia-Ukraine War

With Facebook blocked and Twitter restricted, Telegram is one of the last social network applications fully accessible to internet users in Russia. Archiving Telegram reports of military engagements from on the ground in Ukraine ensures any evidence can still be used by researchers if a user deletes a post, if a channel is removed, or if an entire platform becomes inaccessible.

Chapter Guide Resource

Journalism Resources for Tracking Events in Ukraine

Following the news of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is difficult, especially if you’re not already extremely knowledgeable about the situation. So, Nieman Lab has compiled a resource list for journalists looking for reliable news coverage of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Chapter Guide Resource Video

Video: GIJC23 – Resources for Investigating Russia

Russia matters. A generation after the Cold War, Moscow still has thousands of nuclear weapons. Come hear from two of the best at digging out what’s really happening in Putin’s Russia.

Chapter Guide Resource Video

GIJC23 – Best Investigations on Russia’s War on Ukraine

The challenges for journalists covering Russia’s invasion of Ukraine are massive. In this panel, we bring together three senior journalists who have investigated the war on Ukraine. They will offer tips, tools, and advice on how to cover this ongoing conflict — but also what they have learned about integrating different investigative methods.