With the recent leak of classified documents relating to the current war in Ukraine by Jack Texeira and Donbas Devushka, and the wave of misinformation and propaganda coming out as a result, I thought I would share some good resources for anyone wanting a fact-based view of the events both in, and surrounding, Ukraine. This is not a comprehensive list, of course, there are a ton of good, reliable sources to choose from, and these sources aren’t perfect either, everyone makes mistakes. I have tried, however, to choose only balanced sources which will be somewhat accessible to the average person. I have not included any sources which will feature graphic or violent videos or images.
Institute for the Study of War (ISW)
ISW provides extremely detailed assessments of the current situation across the frontline in Ukraine, and the broader strategic situation in general. They also provide reports on Iran, Myanmar, and other areas around the world. Their latest report is linked below.
https://www.understandingwar.org/backgrounder/russian-offensive-campaign-assessment-april-18-2023
Malcontent News:
This news site mostly focuses on the Ukrainian war, and events around the world that are related. This is a good resource for strategic assessments and breaking news, although it is not as reliable as ISW.
https://malcontentment.com/category/russia-ukraine-war/
A Substack by Philip Orrin
He is a professor of strategic studies at the University of St Andrew. Here’s a link to his most recent update, which includes a good read on the recent leak.
https://phillipspobrien.substack.com/p/weekend-update-24
ORYX Loss Tracker
This open-source project tracks visually confirmed vehicle losses. All losses are accompanied by photographic proof. Obviously, now count right now is 100% accurate, but with that said Oryx is far more reliable than either Moscow’s or Kyiv’s numbers.
Russia – 10064, of which: destroyed: 6541, damaged: 307, abandoned: 391, captured: 2825
Ukraine – 3175, of which: destroyed: 2039, damaged: 182, abandoned: 90, captured: 864
https://www.oryxspioenkop.com/2022/02/attack-on-europe-documenting-equipment.html
Live UA Map
This is a live map, with an available historical function, which shows current activity on the front from fighting, bombardments, propaganda, and deployment zones.
Tracking Russian Affiliated Sites and Propaganda by Dave Troy
Make sure to sort this by page rank. This tool is great for seeing which news sources are pushing pro-Russian, destabilizing, divisive narratives. The sheet explains the methodology used when building the data set. Most of the sites feature a common narrative, anti-US, anti-US imperialism, pro-Russian, fear-mongering, and conspiracy theories.
Russia has been known to use a variety of tactics, including the spread of false information through news outlets, social media, and other channels, to advance its geopolitical goals and sow discord among its adversaries. By keeping tabs on the sources of propaganda and disinformation related to the conflict, we can better understand the narratives being promoted and be more critical of the information we consume. It’s important to remain vigilant and seek out reliable sources of information, especially when it comes to complex and sensitive issues like the Ukraine conflict.
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1JIHe_RqyRVO9JR1yR7AqEYqcLg9uimidiiEcVnlDnbA/edit#gid=0
The Perspective View 