How do far-right movements coordinate across borders? At re:publica this week, researchers from Bellingcat and the Center für Monitoring, Analyse und Strategie will unpack the narratives and platform dynamics shaping the transnational far-right. Join live in Berlin: re-publica.com/en/node/10278

Bellingcat’s strength is our collective. We’re conducting a quick 5-minute survey to see how we can improve the connection with you, our audience, and provide the resources you need for your own research. Contribute to our anonymous review here: bellingcat.questionpro.eu/t/AB3vDHmZB3...

Aircraft tracking has become a powerful tool for journalism. In our Stage Talks podcast, @gillianbrockell.com demonstrates how flight data and open tools can be used to trace government flights, identify ICE aircraft, and verify aviation activity. Listen: rss.com/podcasts/bellingcatstagetalk/2829188

Join us live in one hour as we discuss flight tracking techniques discord.gg/bellingcat?e...

Satellite imagery shows that at least 46 towns and villages in southern Lebanon have been heavily damaged or, in some cases, entirely flattened by the Israeli Defence Forces. Bellingcat’s interactive map reveals the scale of the destruction: www.bellingcat.com/news/2026/05...

Since the beginning of 2026, at least four landslides have reportedly killed hundreds of people at the Rubaya mines in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), a major global source of coltan. www.bellingcat.com/news/africa/...

Bellingcat and Cerosetenta have uncovered online links between the first South American branch of the far-right Active Club movement in Colombia and a mainstream political figure who ran in recent elections for the country's largest right-wing political party. www.bellingcat.com/news/2026/05...

Really looking forward to this. If you're on the @bellingcat.com discord server, hope to see you there.

What can flight data tell us about deportation flights, and where are the limits of public information? On Thursday @gillianbrockell.com guides us through the aviation data, public records, and open-source techniques used to follow immigration operations in the skies. discord.gg/bellingcat?e...

Amid peace negotiations between Iran and the US, documentation of the war’s impact is ongoing. These efforts have been complicated by internet restrictions and limited access to commercial satellite imagery. Bellingcat's tool helps estimate the scale of the damage. www.bellingcat.com/resources/20...

Did you know there’s around 100 000 flights worldwide every day? Flight tracking can be a very useful tool for open source investigations. Want to learn how? Check out this month’s Bellingcat Open Source Challenge: challenge.bellingcat.com

We examined China’s leading social platforms and how they operate in our latest Stage Talk episode. Researcher Chu Yang also shared tips for accessing the platforms from abroad and tracking trends across China and the diaspora. Search 'Stage Talks with Bellingcat': rss.com/podcasts/bel...

Curious how to actually use Chinese social media for research? Join us live in under an hour. discord.gg/bellingcat?e...

At Bellingcat, we’re not just producing investigations — we also want to empower you to carry out your own. That’s why we build tools to help you dig deeper. You can explore our full suite of open-source tools on GitHub: github.com/bellingcat

The Chinese social media landscape can feel unfamiliar and harder to access for research—especially on a foreign device. On Thursday’s Stage Talk, Chu Yang joins us to explore how these platforms work and how to navigate them from the outside. Join us live: discord.gg/Qy4DGB6g?eve...

A former Syrian regime official suspected of leading the notorious Tadamon massacre was arrested Friday. The massacre was first revealed by the Guardian in 2022. “Killing Anna”, a film on the subject – made with Keo Films and Bellingcat Productions – premiered in Copenhagen earlier this year.

New: Bellingcat has identified at least 80 police stations and law enforcement or Basij paramilitary group infrastructure which were damaged or destroyed in the first three weeks of the United States’ and Israel’s strikes on Iran www.bellingcat.com/news/2026/04...

Last week we revealed Indian companies had shipped more than 320 million synthetic opioid pills to West Africa over the past three years – where the opioids had not been approved by regulators. Not read the investigation yet? You can find all of the data here: www.bellingcat.com/news/2026/04...

On Earth Day: environmental investigations can be tough and take time, skills and persistence —but they are possible, and they matter. Here are some tools and resources our team has used in investigations to track wildlife trade, wildfires, and oil spills… 🧵

Bellingcat researcher @conplnk.bsky.social spoke to the Newstalk Daily team about our research into the Kinahan cartel and the impact the arrest of Daniel Kinahan may have: www.newstalk.com/podcasts/new...

Researching China isn’t easy. With many foreign sites blocked, journalists depend on domestic platforms. Even under tight controls, Chinese apps are the main window into the country. Chu Yang’s latest guide explains how to research Xiaohongshu (Rednote). www.bellingcat.com/resources/20...

What if verification can’t keep up with increasingly sophisticated AI-generated media? Bellingcat researcher @koltai.bsky.social spoke with @bendobrown.bsky.social and Reuters' George Sargent at #ijf26 on the role we can play. Watch back here: www.festivaldelgiornalismo.com/programme/20...

AI-generated content has entered the political sphere. Bellingcat speaks with @tbij.bsky.social reporter @efwebb.bsky.social on a possible first-of-its-kind case—and what it means for tracking AI misuse in politics. Listen by searching 'Stage Talks with Bellingcat': rss.com/podcasts/bel...

Breaking: Kinahan cartel leader Daniel Kinahan has been arrested in Dubai. It follows a Bellingcat investigation last month that traced him to an MMA event in Dubai - providing the first proof that the cartel's leadership was still in hiding in the UAE. www.bellingcat.com/news/2026/03...

India has exported more than 320 million unapproved synthetic opioid pills to West Africa in just three years. Trade data shows over 1,400 shipments of tapentadol — a potent painkiller — were sent to a region already facing an opioid crisis. www.bellingcat.com/news/2026/04...

In one hour's time we'll be hosting a live discussion on AI's impact on political campaigning. Join the conversation with @efwebb.bsky.social here: discord.gg/qS6TJjr6?eve...

In the wake of the Iranian attacks on the UAE, the country’s attorney general warned that publication of images or videos of strikes was illegal. People were also encouraged to report anyone sharing photos or videos of the strikes to authorities. www.youtube.com/shorts/J04UK...

Last week the @npr.org team interviewed our researcher @godin.bsky.social about the obstacles faced by those looking for open source information on the Iran-Israel-US conflict and why the development of new tools is important within this space: www.npr.org/2026/04/10/n...

How was an AI-generated rapper used in a far-right political campaign? We're discussing the rise of AI-generated content in politics with @tbij.bsky.social's @efwebb.bsky.social this Thursday at 5pm CEST/11am EDT and how you can investigate it. Join us live: discord.gg/qS6TJjr6?eve...

Hungary’s election has ended Viktor Orbán’s 16-year rule. Days before the vote, we uncovered exposed passwords linked to Hungarian government systems. Here’s what we found: www.bellingcat.com/news/2026/04...

Looking to develop your investigative skills? Our latest challenges focus exclusively on audio analysis, without visual cues—an increasingly relevant skill in the context of AI-generated audio. Explore the exercises here: challenge.bellingcat.com

Latest: Bellingcat has found close to 800 Hungarian government emails and associated passwords online, which in some cases have exposed confidential data of military personnel and civil servants. www.bellingcat.com/news/2026/04...

Bellingcat is pleased to announce our work has received six Emmy award nominations. The winners will be announced in May. Here's a short thread on the work that we're proud to say has been highlighted 🧵

With widespread internet blackouts in Iran and new restrictions on certain satellite imagery of the region at the request of the US government, Bellingcat is launching a tool to help estimate the damage in Iran and the wider Gulf region. www.bellingcat.com/resources/20...

A new set of challenges is live today! This month, we’ve removed all visuals, so you can put your open source investigative skills to the test using audio analysis alone… Try the exercises here: challenge.bellingcat.com

Explosions are going viral — but the explanations often aren’t. Many explosive effects are routinely misidentified online. Our latest guide explains how to spot misinformation about “mushroom clouds,” “sonic weapons,” and other misidentified blasts. Read it here: www.bellingcat.com/resources/20...

On this week's Stage Talk @foeke.bsky.social spoke about uncovering wildlife traffickers selling protected animals… on Facebook. Not the dark web. Not hidden forums. In plain sight—using coded language to avoid detection. Learn how by searching 'Stage Talks with Bellingcat': rss.com/podcasts/bel...

As Iranian drones target the UAE, Bellingcat reveals a number of instances where authorities downplayed damage and mischaracterised interceptions. Meanwhile the UAE’s attorney general warned that publication of images or videos of strikes is illegal. www.bellingcat.com/news/2026/04...

Starting in less than one hour: A live chat with @foeke.bsky.social , the researcher behind a recent Bellingcat investigation into wildlife trafficking on Facebook. We’ll discuss how coded language enabled the trade of protected species in plain sight. Join us here: discord.gg/VjQq4VhH?eve...

Today on @indicator.media’s podcast: The awesome and inimitable @koltai.bsky.social of @bellingcat.com!! Please, allow me a fanboy thread.

Not one, but two waves of bombings appear to have struck the area of an elementary school in Minab, Iran. Local media reports 175 people were killed, mostly children. In this video we explain how we analysed footage of the attack on the first day of the US-Israeli war on Iran. youtu.be/yy9pzWul4mA

Bellingcat and Josimar Football identified the representative of an Asian bookmaker who used a false name to sign a sponsorship deal with Croatia’s national football team ahead of the FIFA World Cup. www.bellingcat.com/news/2026/04...

Bellingcat, with @frontlinepbs.bsky.social, @washingtonpost.com and @evidentmedia.org, investigate the impact of the Israeli and US strikes on Iran’s nuclear programme, through on-the-ground access and open source analysis. 👇

Bellingcat found 31 posts with AI-generated imagery shared on social media by India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Assam and West Bengal in December that appeared to meet the United Nations’ definition of hate speech. www.bellingcat.com/news/2026/03...

What work goes into tracking the traffickers? Join us live on Thursday at 11am EDT/5pm CEST as we speak to @foeke.bsky.social , the Bellingcat researcher behind this investigation into the illegal wildlife trade on Facebook. Ask your questions by joining the event here: discord.gg/VjQq4VhH?eve...

Videos of explosions have fueled misunderstanding and misinformation in the conflict with Iran, with munition types incorrectly identified amongst claims of “mystery” weapons. What can types of explosions really tell us? Read @easybakeovensz.bsky.social‘s latest: www.bellingcat.com/resources/20...

Bellingcat’s analysis of new footage from the Feb. 28 Minab school strike reveals that the area was hit by at least two separate waves of bombing. Read about our findings here: www.bellingcat.com/news/2026/03...

Two new videos have emerged showing the deadly strikes that hit an IRGC compound, as well as an adjacent girls’ school, in Minab, Iran. By geolocating and verifying the footage, Bellingcat found two waves of attacks, occurring hours apart. www.bellingcat.com/news/2026/03...

The US appears to have deployed the Gator Scatterable Mine system over Kafari, a village near Shiraz, in southern Iran overnight. At least two people were killed according to local reports. www.bellingcat.com/news/2026/03...

Satellite images from March 24 show the aftermath of a drone strike on the Primorsk Oil Terminal, a key Russian oil export facility. Smoke plumes extended over 100 km from the site, located near the Finnish border, which was hit by Ukraine in the night of March 22–23.