Have you tried the December Open Source challenges already? Check them out at challenge.bellingcat.com

Bellingcat’s work in 2025 verified war crimes, exposed deepfake abuse, and challenged disinformation. We want to uncover wrongdoing. We can with your support: www.bellingcat.com/donate This is how we cut through the digital noise to tell stories that matter.

Bellingcat’s work in 2025 verified war crimes, exposed deepfake abuse, and challenged disinformation. We want to uncover wrongdoing. We can with your support: www.bellingcat.com/donate This is how we cut through the digital noise to tell stories that matter.

That perfect holiday gift might not exist. Scammers are using AI to create convincing fake products and stores. Bellingcat's @koltai.bsky.social reveals 10 real examples found online — plus quick, practical checks to help you spot what’s real before it’s too late. www.youtube.com/watch?v=txcN...

In a new documentary with @frontlinepbs.bsky.social @washingtonpost.com and @evidentmedia.org, we investigate the impact of Israeli and US strikes on Iran’s nuclear programme. www.bellingcat.com/news/2025/12...

War doesn’t just destroy buildings—it erases places where children learn, play, and grow. Bellingcat and journalists from @afp.com bureaus in Paris and Kyiv take a look at the lost spaces of youth in Ukraine. www.bellingcat.com/news/2025/12...

A joint investigation by Bellingcat and Lloyd’s List shows that Saudi Arabia is the newest country willing to accept what the Ukrainian government describes as “stolen” grain. youtube.com/shorts/5FUm6...

With @frontlinepbs.bsky.social @washingtonpost.com and @evidentmedia.org, we investigate the aftermath of June’s US and Israeli strikes on Iran’s nuclear programme, with Frontline reporters on the ground, exclusive interviews and open source analysis. Watch at 10pm EST/9pm CST, on Frontline, PBS.

New from me! After we reached out to the owner of these deepfake porn sites, they were removed offline and he deleted his socials. Each time a site goes down, it's a win for me. Hopefully this guy never tries to get them up and running again. Check out our investigation!

Bellingcat’s @koltai.bsky.social uncovers the Hungarian national behind two deepfake porn websites. The key figure rakes in profits and vacations in luxury hotels in Dubai and Bali, whilst website visitors create sexually explicit images and videos. www.bellingcat.com/news/2025/12...

On Friday, the UK sanctioned Rapid Support Forces commander Al-Fateh Abdullah Idris, also known as Abu Lulu. Bellingcat previously geolocated him in three videos filmed at the site of a mass killing near Al Fashir, Sudan. www.bellingcat.com/news/2025/11...

In our latest Bellingchat Premium episode @msramalho.bsky.social, lead researcher on this investigation, explains how young Russian Cossacks are being drawn into frontline combat. Listen in here: www.patreon.com/posts/how-ru...

An investigation by Bellingcat and Lloyd’s List found that Saudi Arabia joined the countries importing grain directly from a sanctioned port in occupied Crimea. Meanwhile Russia attempts to secure recognition of the Ukrainian territory via a US-led peace plan. www.bellingcat.com/news/2025/12...

"We have to decide globally if it is acceptable to generate AI SGBV content and share it online," @bellingcat.com's @koltai.bsky.social told HRC's @alexakoenig.bsky.social. "The harm it currently generates will only amplify if we let this go unchecked." medium.com/@maggie.visu...

Europol are running the #traceanobject campaign, asking for researchers to geolocate objects and scenery taken from larger images from active child abuse cases. Our Discord community, independent of Bellingcat, are investigating one image. Join in with that analysis here: discord.com/channels/709...

How do investigators turn raw trade data into real stories? Bellingcat’s Katherine de Tolly uncovers hidden supply chains, red flags in import-export records, and key pitfalls in trade-data investigations. Search 'Stage Talks with Bellingcat' on podcast platforms: rss.com/podcasts/bel...

Our monthly open source challenges just got an upgrade... With hidden codes - a corrupted archive and a mysterious figure pulling the strings. Get started at challenge.bellingcat.com

The next chapter of our December Challenge is about to unfold. Sign up for our newsletter to keep up with all the surprises we have in store for this month’s Bellingcat Open Source Challenge. bellingcat-challenges.beehiiv.com

The All-Russian Cossack Society turns school clubs into pipelines for state-sponsored militarisation and recruitment for war in Ukraine. Bellingcat shows how they shape an alternative mobilisation force: www.bellingcat.com/news/2025/12...

We're live now speaking about investigating finances! Come join us here: discord.gg/D7zDQ5r5

Know how to make online communities feel like home (and stay organised doing it)? Bellingcat needs a Community Operations and Project Manager to support our growing global Volunteer Community and to help run Bellingcat’s Investigative Toolkit project. Apply here: www.bellingcat.com/bellingcat-j...

Bellingcat has pieced together a detailed view of a crisis that has left much of Mali in the dark. Learn how the attacks behind the fuel shortages brought daily life to a halt here: www.bellingcat.com/news/2025/12...

Life in Bamako, the capital of Mali, has been brought to a standstill after a jihadist organisation launched a series of attacks on inbound fuel convoys. Bellingcat has verified six attacks since September, which together have damaged more than 130 fuel tankers. www.bellingcat.com/news/2025/12...

Trade data can reveal everything from money trails to illicit networks. 📊 Bellingcat’s Katherine De Tolly will walk us through how to use these databases for investigations in our final Stage Talk of the year. Join live & bring your questions: discord.gg/D7zDQ5r5?eve...

From satellite imagery analysis to ship tracking, and from art crime research to explosives identification, we’ve covered many different skills in one year of the Bellingcat Open Source Challenge. Now it’s time to put what you’ve learnt to the test! Challenge.bellingcat.com

It's your last chance of the year to grab some Bellingcat training! From flight tracking to scraping, here's what we've got available in December...

Mariupol residents are seeing their homes demolished and resold. Researcher Ilvija Bruge breaks down her investigation in our latest Bellingchat Premium episode on Patreon. www.patreon.com/posts/how-ma...

💬 Lessons from Building an Online Toolkit to Aid Open-Source Investigations Publicly available sources can be a tool for all journalists, writes @johannawild.bsky.social of @bellingcat.com. niemanreports.org/osint-open-s...

Nine out of 10 residential buildings in Mariupol were damaged or destroyed during Russia’s invasion. Now, the apartment blocks are being rebuilt – and offered for sale to Russians with low-interest mortgages. youtube.com/shorts/yxsIV...

This is really cool. Including a couple of Bellingcat stories where this method has been used below. It’s exciting to see people like @trbrtc.bsky.social @mabl2k.bsky.social @nickwaters.bsky.social (& others in the open source investigative community) bring these methods to their work

We’re proud to have contributed to this important investigative series on the dangerous journeys that migrants face across the Americas. Read our investigation into one suspicious TikTok account openly promoting people-smuggling services: www.bellingcat.com/news/2024/04...

How does war reshape ecosystems? What gets damaged, lost, or overlooked? Yesterday we went into a deep dive with the Conflict and Environment Observatory @ceobs.org . Listen back by searching 'Stage Talks with Bellingcat': rss.com/podcasts/bel...

Experienced in nonprofit fundraising and love building meaningful, cross-sector relationships? We’d be excited to meet you! We’re hiring a Director of Development & Partnerships (remote US, East Coast preferred). Salary $160–200k. Apply here: www.on-ramps.com/jobs/3518

The online investigations toolkit by @bellingcat.com helps reporters discover tools in categories like satellite imagery, maps, and social media, and is designed to help researchers learn how to use each tool with in-depth descriptions.

War doesn’t just devastate societies—it leaves lasting scars on the environment. Later today, @ceobs.org joins us to discuss the hidden ecological costs of conflict, demonstrating how open-source data can lead to accountability. Join us live on the link below👇

Tune in to find out how @koltai.bsky.social does at the latest Bellingcat Open Source Challenge... We're live on Youtube in 15 minutes!

@bellingcat.com also has an art crime channel on their Discord server: discord.com/channels/709... They are also hosting an art crime office hours today (6pm CET/12pm EST) for more OSINT in the art and antiquities crime world. discord.gg/zRwbNtfm?eve...

Tomorrow, our researcher Kolina will take on the latest Bellingcat Open Source Challenges. Can she identify the real-world locations depicted in the 3D models? Join us at 5pm CET to find out! www.youtube.com/watch?v=xZNP...

Join us on Thursday as we speak to @ceobs.org. We'll dive into the hidden environmental costs of war—and explore how open-source data can help you uncover, explain, and advocate for deeper investigation into the ecological impacts of conflict. discord.gg/4W8uaZzJ?eve...

Streets have been renamed, Ukrainian monuments removed, and murals painted over. Bellingcat investigates how apartment blocks in the Ukrainian port city of Mariupol have been demolished to make way for a new Russian suburban utopia… www.bellingcat.com/uncategorize...

Fancy a challenge? Check out our latest puzzles on our Bellingcat Open Source Challenge website. This month's challenges are all about geolocating using 3D models. Managed to solve them? Share your working out with us below- but try to avoid spoiling the answers for others! challenge.bellingcat.com

An important piece of work and a great experience of merging field reporting with open source investigation. @bellingcat.com @afp.com @cedmohub.bsky.social

Russian state media are today alleging that a Bellingcat reporter was involved in an attempt to hijack a Russian fighter plane. We would like to make clear that Bellingcat had absolutely no involvement in the alleged activities and the accusations towards us are entirely false.

Publicly available sources to aid open-source investigations can be a tool for all journalists, writes @johannawild.bsky.social of @bellingcat.com ⬇️ niemanreports.org/osint-open-s...

In the UK this week? Join Bellingcat contributor Dr. Ollie Ballinger at the @britishlibrary.bsky.social for a talk this Friday as he unpacks our investigations into, and the open source tools we built to track suspicious ships operating in international waters. events.bl.uk/events/onlin...

As violence escalated this month in Al Fashir, Sudan, many tried to escape. But leaving the city isn't easy. Bellingcat geolocated an incident in which more than 80 people were killed on their way out of the city. youtube.com/shorts/OJDCN...

What does “military power” really mean—and how do the logistics of war shape it? We spoke with Oxus Society’s Michael Hilliard on mapping Central Asia’s armed forces. Listen on Stage Talks with Bellingcat: rss.com/podcasts/bel...

Join us live in one hour! Link below 👇

We mapped Operation Midway Blitz in Illinois with @evidentmedia.org. A federal judge will hold a hearing today (November 5th) on whether a temporary restraining order restricting crowd-control tactics in Illinois should be converted into a preliminary injunction. youtube.com/shorts/HKXEY...

Social media footage and satellite imagery show killings as Rapid Support Forces took over Al Fashir (El Fasher). Bellingcat geolocated one incident on the city’s outskirts and showed it to the UN Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions www.bellingcat.com/news/2025/11...