Russia’s attacks on Kyiv and Bakhmut continue with the former being hit by a new barrage of missiles. Meanwhile in the discovery of a Russian missile in Poland sparks a ‘cover-up’ controversy.
On May 16, Russian media reported that the army had strengthened its positions in the Bakhmut area, including deploying additional airborne forces. According to reports, four battalions have deployed around Bakhmut to repel Ukrainian counterattacks. t.me/annamaliar/738
On May 16, Russia launched a barrage at Kyiv. Ukraine said it shot down most of the missiles and drones. One missile struck a Patriot missile defense system. A US official told @CNN that the Patriot system likely suffered damage but was not destroyed. edition.cnn.com/europe/live-ne…
@CNN Allied military aid continues to flow into Ukraine, albeit at a slower pace. The United Kingdom said it would send hundreds of custom-built ‘kamikaze’ drones. According to @Telegraph, the drones will have a range of 200+ KM, comparable to artillery shells. telegraph.co.uk/world-news/202…
@CNN@Telegraph A Polish broadcaster reported on a Russian missile that landed in Polish territory in December 2022. The rocket reportedly flew 300 KM into Polish airspace before landing in a forest near the city of Bydgoszcz, 265 KM northwest of Warsaw. rmf24.pl/raporty/raport…
@CNN@Telegraph The delayed discovery of the missile has sparked discussions about whether the Polish government tried to cover up the incident. On May 11, Defense Minister @mblaszczak claimed he had not been informed. Opposition politicians called for his resignation. notesfrompoland.com/2023/05/12/que…
Russia canceled some of this year's Victory Day parades while the armed forces continue to escalate fighting on the front lines. Meanwhile, two Russian prisoners recounted killing civilians, including children, on Wagner's orders.
The Russian army's offensive actions in Eastern Ukraine continue. In recent days, there has been an escalation of attacks on Ukrainian positions near Marinka, Avdiivka, and Bakhmut.
A @DFRLab analysis of three state controlled media networks found that following a change in @Twitter's policy on the promotion of state affiliated media accounts, the once hemorrhaging accounts saw a dramatic uptick in followers.
@Twitter@AlyssaKann RT has at least nine Twitter accounts that until April 20 were labeled as “government-affiliated” on the platform. The three most followed RT accounts have followings in the millions. Two, RT Arabic and general RT, saw dramatic increases in followers starting in late March.
@Twitter@AlyssaKann China's CGTN operates at least 28 Twitter accounts labeled as state-affiliated. Several accounts appear to benefit from Twitter’s new policy, seeing a sharp upticks of followers.
@cgtnamerica, for example, experienced an uptick in average followers per day beginning March 29.
Part two of @DFRLab's coverage on social media manipulation and violence in Sudan. A network of Twitter accounts is promoting #RSF leader Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, aka Hemedti, by posting copied content and duplicate replies on Hemedti related content. 🧵👇 dfrlab.org/2023/04/19/sus…
The network’s content appears to fall into three categories:
• Tweets copied directly from the official Twitter accounts of the RSF or Hemedti
• Seemingly original content posts promoting Hemedti and the RSF
• Replies to tweets posted by the RSF and Hemedti.
Before the conflict between the RSF and Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) began, the accounts portrayed Hemedti as a reformist general and potential leader. After fighting started, as a hero. Often the accounts posted identical content, including replies, within seconds of one another.
As fighting continues in Khartoum, @DFRLab discovered 900+ Twitter accounts that appear to have been hijacked and refurbished to boost content supportive of #Hemedti and the #RSF, making the paramilitary force appear more popular than they may be. 🧵👇 dfrlab.org/2023/04/18/pot…
Our team reviewed 4,882 accounts and found that some very old accounts, most of which had been dormant for many years, suddenly began tweeting between December 2022 and February 2023 at what appeared to be a random combination of words and a date
After the random posts, accounts started liking content posted by Hemedti/RSF. However, almost none of the 900 accounts actually followed Hemedti or the RSF. Trying to appear authentic, accounts sometimes tweeted out Quran verses and inspirational quotes, often simultaneously.
This week, @DFRLab confirmed aerial strikes north of #Bakhmut, looked at the battle for #Vuhledar, examined a Russian amplified video of the Quran being desecrated, and recaps tank training received by Ukrainian forces.
.@DFRLab collected open-source satellite imagery to document missile strikes on an industrial plant in the north of #Bakhmut. Analysis of the damage inflicted reveals that potential missiles struck buildings in two different industrial plants.
Red: Russia, Blue: Ukraine
Possibly driven by a desire to produce better results than the Wagner Group, Russian forces continue to advance on Vuhledar and Bakhmut. A UK report purports that the ongoing offensive operations are provoking a competition between the different units.
The @DFRLab confirmed Russia has intensified its air power in recent weeks. Satellite imagery indicated Russia’s air force have increased aerial activity in Crimea.
These findings are consistent with @bradyafr who identified seven different instances of aircraft located in southern Ukraine.