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You can directly support the development of the Bellingcat Toolkit by donating here: www.bellingcat.com/donate-bellingcat-toolkit

Drive the continued growth and impact of the Toolkit:
www.bellingcat.com/donate-bellingcat-toolkit

Find out how you can contribute to the toolkit at: https://bellingcat.gitbook.io/toolkit

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Our independent Toolkit Maintainers test each tool and are adding detailed guides where possible. They also provide guidance on ethical and security considerations for each tool.

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The tools are organised by research topic and most of the applications included in the list can be used for free.

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Over the past two years, our Toolkit has received over two million views and now includes over 190 tools.

Since its launch in 2024, our Toolkit has grown by 190+ tools and has been looked at over 2 million times.

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Bellingcat @bellingcat.com · 23/09/2026

Today we're celebrating the two year anniversary of Bellingcat's Online Open Source Investigation Toolkit. The resource that helps you discover and use open source tools is maintained by a group of amazing volunteers. If you've not explored it yet, you can find it here: bellingcat.gitbook.io/toolkit

The Bellingcat Online Open Source Investigation Toolkit Turns 2!

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How do you trace organised crime through open sources? Learn practical OSINT techniques for investigating illicit networks, corporate structures, vessels and aircraft, with real Bellingcat case studies. 12–13 October 2026. www.bellingcat.com/workshops/tr...

Learn our methods... Uncover the █████. bellingcat.com/workshops

Learn to trace illicit networks and dig into corporate structures

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Bellingcat @bellingcat.com · 21/09/2026

The winning designers will be given a choice of Bellingcat products for free. Submit your entry here via this Google Form: docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...

Two weeks left to pitch your designs for our audience co-created merch module.

Draw ‘Bellingcat’
What do you see?

Submit sketches,slogans, or concepts via the google form.

Winning ideas get a free product.

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Bellingcat @bellingcat.com · 16/09/2026

Two strikes seen in footage released by the military from March 2024 in Amasrakad also resulted in claims of civilian deaths. France24 geolocated the first strike on a truck. Bellingcat geolocated the second to a structure in a compound, where video shows several people scrambling before impact.

Geolocation diagram showing Google earth satellite image (right), screengrab of aftermath footage (top-left) and screengrab of drone footage (bottom-left). Sources: X/@MohmedRAMADANE and Youtube.

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Bellingcat @bellingcat.com · 16/09/2026

We geolocated one strike on July 8, 2025 to the town of Zouera. In footage broadcast on TV it was presented as a successful operation against a supply vehicle for terrorists. But testimony gathered by Médecins Sans Frontières stated four people were killed in the strike, including three young girls.

Geolocation diagram showing Google Earth satellite image (middle) with a screengrab of aftermath footage blurred by Bellingcat (left) and drone-footage shown on ORTM 1 (right). Sources: X/@AmakanessAg and Youtube.

Information gathered by Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) and posted on X on July 11, 2025, stated four people were killed in the strike, including three young girls. MSF added that five others were treated for injuries at a local health centre, one of whom was in a serious condition.
https://x.com/MSF_WestAfrica/status/1943598703098356149?s=20

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Bellingcat @bellingcat.com · 16/09/2026

Today marks three years since Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger formed the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) in an effort to restore national sovereignty. To push that message Mali’s military government now broadcast drone strikes on national television, describing them as "precise" attacks on terrorists.

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Bellingcat @bellingcat.com · 15/09/2026

What does an OSINT investigation look like when the internet doesn’t appear to have the answer? @oldpete45.bsky.social shares how FOIAs helped identify a cold case victim after three decades and what it takes to navigate the maze of public records. Join us on Thursday: discord.gg/bellingcat?e...

Finding Missing Records: Looking Into The Case Of An Unnamed Victim. Bellingcat Stage Talk , Thursday 9/17 5pm CEST/11am EDT discord.com/invite/bellingcat

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Bellingcat @bellingcat.com · 14/09/2026

Slogans, concepts, and design sketches - send us your ideas. The winning concepts will be voted on by the community and produced in a limited run. Winning designers get their product for free. Submit your concept here: docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...

Shows a design book with a bellingcat 'tshirt' design on it.

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Bellingcat @bellingcat.com · 14/09/2026

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. www.bellingcat.com/workshops/co...

Learn to use AI research assistants and command line tools

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Bellingcat @bellingcat.com · 11/09/2026

A third option - exporting grain via inland ports on the Danube River remains open. 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.

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Bellingcat @bellingcat.com · 11/09/2026

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.

Map showing neighbouring countries - colour indicates which countries ban Ukrainian grain.
Poland, Slovakia and Hungary all maintain bans on specific Ukrainian agricultural goods in the name of safeguarding their own farmers’ livelihoods.

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Bellingcat @bellingcat.com · 11/09/2026

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.🧵

Reads What Routes Does Ukraine's Grain Trade Have Left. Pictured grain being harvested.

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Bellingcat @bellingcat.com · 09/09/2026

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. Register: www.bellingcat.com/workshops/ad...

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Bellingcat @bellingcat.com · 07/09/2026

September has begun, which means a new batch of Bellingcat challenges is ready for you to try. This month, we’re taking a new angle, with our researcher @godin.bsky.social testing your ability to interpret imagery captured from orbit. Take on the challenges here: challenge.bellingcat.com

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Bellingcat @bellingcat.com · 02/09/2026

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. Register here: www.bellingcat.com/workshops/in...

Learn how to scrape websites and social media platforms

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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.

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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.

Planet Labs sat imagery from July 16 and 17 2026 show the island drifting north of Weston Bay.

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Archival Landsat data shows that these trees appeared here in 2012 — the last time the lake was filled to its current water level.

A mosaic of satellite imagery from 2010 to 2025 of the same area showing land growth

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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.

Origin images of the island in Sept 10 2025 , compared with July 11, 2026 of the same area

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BC Hydro, which operates the lake, claimed that the origin of the island could not be pinpointed. Planet Labs satellite imagery can show us where the island came from — and where it is now. Our analysis shows that the island traveled more than 100 km since coming afloat. www.cbc.ca/news/canada/...

Satellite imagery of the island mapped out on the lake with dates of capture.

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Bellingcat @bellingcat.com · 31/08/2026

Who are the people behind hate networks, and who funds them? On Thursday, Bellingcat researchers 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: discord.gg/bellingcat?e...

Mapping Hate Networks Across Borders, Bellingcat Stage Talk , Thursday 3rd of Sept, 5pm CEST/11am EDT discord.com/invite/bellingcat

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The Fukienese Flying Dragons were a criminal network known to be active across much of the East Coast. The murder victim was suspected of being a member of a faction carrying out home invasions targeting Asian and Asian-American restaurant owners across New England in the late 90s.

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Bellingcat @bellingcat.com · 27/08/2026

Satellite imagery and AIS data show that a Russian vessel, 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.

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In addition to shuttling between Libreville and Douala, the Patria has anchored off the coast of Lagos for more than 30 days. The Patria has been at Lagos Anchorage since July 21 up until the day of publication.

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We reviewed the draft/draught of the ship at each port visit and found that the ship’s draught always dropped after a stay at the Port of Douala, suggesting it was unloading. It called four times at Libreville, each time the draught increased, suggesting it was loading.

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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.

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