This week we’re bringing you a special episode investigating the conflict in Ukraine. We unpack the truth around violent extremist elements operating in Ukraine amid the online information war that’s been unfolding. We speak to experts who expose the Russian claims of denazification as state-sponsored disinformation, and interrogate the reality of the violent far-right presence and influence of foreign fighters in Ukraine.
Join Anne Craanen as she speaks to Ukraine-based Olga Yurkova who is the Co-founder of StopFake.org, an educational platform which aims to teach people about the dangers of spreading false information. We also hear from Kacper Rekawek, a PhD, postdoctoral fellow at the Center for Research on Extremism at the University of Oslo. And finally, from Jason Blazakis who is a Professor at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies (MIIS) and former Director of the Counterterrorism Finance and Designations Office, Bureau of Counterterrorism, U.S. Department of State.
We also get valuable insight from Arthur Bradley, a Senior OSINT analyst at Tech Against Terrorism, who explains the divergent reaction of the international far-right to the invasion online. Our experts reveal troubling links between the Russian state and far-right fighters in Ukraine exposing Kremlin narratives as not only false but contradictory.
How do you tell if a photo or video posted online is real or fake? Here's a simple video by the BBC's Disinformation team on how to check and verify content shared online about the war in Ukraine. Or you can find this article on Olga’s website StopFake.org on “How to recognise a fake.”
To find out more about Tech Against Terrorism and our work, visit techagainstterrorism.org or follow us on Twitter @techvsterrorism, where you can find resources on this topic.