How can researchers investigate hate online without amplifying it? Learn to recognise hate symbols and examine the narratives, networks and tactics that can fuel hate and division. Sign up for the online webinar on the 28th of October 2026.
What can AI actually do for investigative research?
Our Stage Talk with journalist Craig Silverman is out now. Craig shares how he uses AI in investigations, what it can uncover, and the risks researchers need to watch for.
Search 'Stage Talks with Bellingcat' on your favourite podcast platform: https://rss.com/podcasts/bellingcatstagetalk/3202578/
We're pleased to announce that Bellingcat won three awards at the Online Journalism Awards. Congratulations to all of the winners and nominees listed here: https://awards.journalists.org/2026/10/02/congratulations-to-the-winners-of-the-2026-online-journalism-awards/
Our series with and monitoring the actions of US border patrol agents won the Topical Reporting: Immigration Medium newsroom award. Read one of our articles in that series here: https://www.bellingcat.com/news/2026/03/17/border-patrol-agents-of-chaos/
The same series produced in partnership with CalMatters and Evident Media also won the award for Digital Video Storytelling, Series, Small/Medium Newsroom.
Watch our documentary, which follows a year of documented incidents involving the use of force, here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=evADOoRYa90
Bellingcat was recognised for all of our work over the past year with the General Excellence in Online Journalism award for a small newsroom. The team is incredibly proud of what we produced.
You can read all of our reporting on our website: https://www.bellingcat.com/
Want to support our future work? Become a Bellingcat Member. https://www.bellingcat.com/donate/
Viral reports this week suggested new Google satellite imagery showed unseen destruction in Gaza. But the imagery actually depicts the scene in February 2026. Bellingcat has obtained satellite images from September that show how the destruction has continued.
Find the latest imagery from Gaza in our new story: https://www.bellingcat.com/news/middle-east/2026/10/01/viral-google-maps-images-shared-widely-this-week-show-gaza-ruins-we-obtained-more-recent-satellite-imagery/?utm_source=reddit
In today's Stage Talk, investigative journalist Craig Silverman will share how he’s using AI, including in his investigation of a North Korean hiring scam. We’ll explore what AI can uncover, where it falls short, and what it means for investigators.
Join us live later today in Discord: https://discord.gg/bellingcat?event=1553048996295999599
Before the talk, read Craig's fantastic research into how hackers recruited unwitting freelancers in the Philippines, Nigeria, Colombia, and Bangladesh to put a human face on a digital deception scheme, featured in the Indicator here: https://indicator.media/p/i-got-inside-a-north-korean-hiring-scam-what-i-found-reveals-a-troubling-shift-in-tactics
There will be time for audience Q&A, too. What questions would you like our speaker to explore?
Got a design idea? Send it our way. Not an artist? No problem. We’re also looking for tagline ideas for T-shirts, bags and hats.
What makes you think of Bellingcat? Tell us by Friday: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSd4axHEe1NczTN30P-nDqTMPbLExlbNWPUyoOwtNoSV7DLSxg/viewform
Winning designers will receive a product of their choice for free. Want to know more about the contest and our guidelines? Find all the details here: https://www.bellingcat.com/uncategorized/2026/09/14/bellingcat-official-merch-design-contest/
Can you work out where a photo was taken — and when? Learn methods for geolocation, satellite imagery analysis and chronolocation techniques with Bellingcat experts. 14–16 October 2026. Find the webinar details here: https://www.bellingcat.com/workshops/introduction-to-geolocation-satellite-imagery-techniques-chronolocation/
You still have time to design Bellingcat's first official merch line. We are launching an Audience Co-Created Capsule alongside our core brand merchandise. You have two weeks to pitch your ideas before we take a shortlist to public vote. Find the details here: https://www.bellingcat.com/uncategorized/2026/09/14/bellingcat-official-merch-design-contest/
The winning designers will be given a choice of Bellingcat products for free. Submit your entry here via this Google Form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSd4axHEe1NczTN30P-nDqTMPbLExlbNWPUyoOwtNoSV7DLSxg/viewform
Latest: Christy Kinahan, founder of the transnational organised crime group the Kinahan cartel, has had his UAE visa cancelled, Bellingcat and The Sunday Times can reveal. https://www.bellingcat.com/news/2026/09/19/christy-kinahans-uae-residence-visa-cancelled/?utm_source=reddit
The visa was cancelled only weeks after the extradition of his eldest son Daniel Kinahan from Dubai to Ireland, where he is charged with directing the activities of a criminal organisation. Christy and his two sons are the subject of US sanctions and have $5 million bounties on their heads.
The visa cancellation follows a review of public immigration records by Bellingcat and The Sunday Times last month, which revealed that Christopher Kinahan Jr, Christy Kinahan’s younger son, was recently issued with a new two-year visa in the UAE.
https://www.bellingcat.com/news/2026/08/01/welcome-to-dubai-kinahan-cartels-visas-revealed/
You don’t need to be a programmer to use code as an investigative tool. Bellingcat’s upcoming webinar will help researchers get started with the command line and AI coding assistants, using them for research, data analysis, visualisation and automation. https://www.bellingcat.com/workshops/command-line-ai-assisted-coding-webinar/
You can find our full list of upcoming workshops and webinars on our website: https://www.bellingcat.com/workshops/
It’s harvest season in Ukraine, but in the first two weeks of August, Ukrainian grain exports were down 75% from the same period last year. Russia’s military blockade has effectively cut off Ukrainian ports from the Black Sea.
Ukraine is faced with few alternatives to export huge quantities of grain during the peak of the harvest. Overland routes, via Poland, Slovakia and Hungary have been severely reduced by bans introduced by those countries designed to protect local agriculture industry.
A third option - exporting grain via inland ports on the Danube River remains open - though far less grain can leave the country via this route and delays have occurred amid a shortage of personnel and critically low water levels. Satellite imagery shows a buildup of ships waiting near Danube river ports.
Olof Gill, EU Commission spokesperson for Trade & Economic Security has called on EU member states Hungary, Poland and Slovakia to remove their bans on certain Ukrainian agricultural products, but so far no change has occurred.
The recent escalation of Russian and Ukrainian attacks on Black Sea ports and commercial vessels threatens to further disrupt grain exports from two of the world’s largest suppliers, contributing to a sharp increase in global grain prices. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/8/31/war-and-heat-why-are-wheat-prices-soaring
For at least three years Bellingcat has been covering Russia’s grain smuggling operation - shipping grain from occupied Ukraine . You can read our reporting on this here: https://www.bellingcat.com/?s=grain
Join us for a two-day advanced training on satellite and geospatial data. You’ll work with optical, SAR, multispectral and hyperspectral imagery, learning to use it for monitoring environmental disasters, maritime activity and military movements.
This isn't the only training Bellingcat is offering this month. You can find the full programme of our upcoming webinars and in-person workshops on https://www.bellingcat.com/workshops/
How do you map a hate network?
In our latest Stage Talk, Bellingcat researchers Michael Colborne and Pooja Chaudhuri share their experience investigating the reach of hate group networks using open-source research — from digging into financial links to tracing digital footprints.
They discuss the challenges of piecing together fragmented information and the investigative techniques that can help reveal the wider networks behind hate movements.
🎧 Search for ‘Stage Talks with Bellingcat’ on your preferred podcast platform: https://rss.com/podcasts/bellingcatstagetalk/3131297/
Want to turn large amounts of online data into something you can investigate? Our Intermediate Scraping Webinar on September 22nd will teach you practical approaches to scraping websites and accessing data, in just four hours. You’ll learn how to work with APIs, find undocumented APIs through browser Developer Tools, how to scrape websites and public Telegram channels, and analyse social media data with Python tools such as Pandas and Matplotlib.
Register here: https://www.bellingcat.com/workshops/intermediate-scraping-webinar-september-22-2026/
A mysterious, never before seen island in Canada made waves after it was photographed adrift on Williston Lake, British Columbia before supposedly vanishing. Video footage of the island shows a thickly forested landmass undulating surreally on the water. But did it really disappear?
[Video] https://x.com/Phil_Lewis_/status/2094192458875683076
BC Hydro, which operates the lake, claimed that the origin of the island could not be pinpointed. However, Planet Labs satellite imagery can show us where the island came from — and where it is now. Bellingcat analysis shows that the island traveled more than 100 km since coming afloat.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/floating-island-williston-lake-bc-9.7324586
In July 2026, a 2.5 acre copse of trees near Heather-Dina Lakes Park suddenly disappeared from satellite imagery as water levels in Williston Lake rose to a 14-year high.
Archival Landsat data shows that these trees appeared here in 2012 — the last time the lake was filled to its current water level.
Satellite imagery shows that the island drifted around Lake Williston for several weeks, briefly coming to rest on the shoreline on at least two occasions. Images below from July 16 and 17 show the island drifting north of Weston Bay.
After more than 100 kilometers of travel, the island came to rest on the shoreline southwest of the Ospika Airstrip (56.21969° N, 124.13841° W). Satellite imagery shows that it has remained here for the last month.
On Thursday, Bellingcat researchers Michael Colborne and Pooja Chaudhuri will explore methods for mapping personnel and financial connections, focusing on how these networks enable organised hate groups to operate across borders. Join us live: https://discord.gg/bellingcat?event=1542894381709918308
Skeletal remains were found in the woods of an affluent Boston suburb almost two years after the victim was killed. For three decades his name remained hidden. Bellingcat dug through public records for clues in the cold case murder. https://www.bellingcat.com/news/us-canada/2026/08/31/investigating-a-murder-public-records-uncover-new-clues-in-chinatown-cold-case/?utm_source=reddit
Satellite imagery and Automated Identification System (AIS) data show that a Russian vessel, the Patria has shuttled between Cameroon and Gabon four times since March. Experts told Bellingcat that the unusual set of movements warrants scrutiny, especially as the ship is under sanction and is previously reported to have shipped arms that were intended for the Kremlin-controlled Africa Corps and their operations in Mali.
Read the full story here: https://www.bellingcat.com/news/africa/2026/08/25/patria-sanctioned-russian-vessel-russia-us-africa-cameroon-gabon-lagos-nigeria/
#russia #russianews #shiptracking #maritime #osint #nigeria #gabon #cameroon
A sanctioned vessel that was previously reported to have transported weapons destined for Russian mercenaries has been traversing ports along the west coast of Africa since March, exhibiting what experts told Bellingcat was an unusual set of movements and behaviours.
Satellite imagery and Automated Identification System (AIS) data shows Patria has shuttled between the Port of Douala in Cameroon and the Port of Owendo in Libreville, Gabon four times since March.
https://www.bellingcat.com/news/africa/2026/08/25/patria-sanctioned-russian-vessel-russia-us-africa-cameroon-gabon-lagos-nigeria/?utm_source=reddit
•On November 9, Bellingcat founder Eliot Higgins will host a two-hour webinar on his Verification, Deliberation, Accountability framework: an examination of how viral beliefs win online, and what we can do to bring evidence and accountability back into the conversation. Find out more: https://www.bellingcat.com/workshops/verification-disordered-discourse-and-the-repair-of-democratic-reality-webinar/
•Flight tracking skills have led to breakthrough reporting on immigration, conflict and emissions. Want to learn how to identify an aircraft and follow its journey? We’re running a two-day training on flight tracking: https://www.bellingcat.com/workshops/flight-tracking-webinar/
•If you’re looking at Bellingcat investigations and want to start using open source research methods yourself, our 12-hour introductory webinar offers an immersion in the skills and techniques behind open source research: https://www.bellingcat.com/workshops/introduction-to-geolocation-satellite-imagery-techniques-chronolocation-2/
•On December 3 and 4, we’re hosting a two-day masterclass in visual intelligence, focusing on overcoming geolocation roadblocks and taking your geolocation and visual investigation skills to the next level: https://www.bellingcat.com/workshops/online-masterclass-in-visual-intelligence-the-art-of-advanced-geolocation-2/
•Can’t make our September command line training? We have another slot in December, covering how to use the command line and AI to code for research purposes: https://www.bellingcat.com/workshops/command-line-ai-assisted-coding-webinar-2/
•High-quality satellite imagery is increasingly accessible, and it can reveal important findings in open source investigations. Our December webinar explores different types of satellite imagery and geospatial data, and how to interpret and analyse what we can see from space: https://www.bellingcat.com/workshops/advanced-satellite-imagery-techniques-for-open-source-investigation-webinar/
•Finally, on December 14 and 15, there’s another chance to take our Tracking Organised Crime Through Open Sources webinar, learning from Bellingcat’s Financial Investigations Team about digital footprint and corporate tracing, FOIA submissions, and vessel and aircraft tracking: https://www.bellingcat.com/workshops/tracking-organised-crime-through-open-sources-webinar-2/
Find all the latest dates and details here: https://www.bellingcat.com/workshops/
