The Battle of Ilovaisk: Verifying Russian Military Presence in Eastern Ukraine

© Forensic Architecture 2019

The struggle for control of the city of Ilovaisk, Eastern Ukraine, was a defining moment in the 2014 Ukraine conflict. The Ukrainian Armed Forces, who had held the upper hand against pro-Russian separatists in the region, were resoundingly defeated.

Ukrainian soldiers reported encountering regular units of the Russian army during the battle; Russia denied the charge. But open source investigators gathered substantial evidence to support their claims.

Using machine learning and computer vision, and building on the work of dozens of open source investigators, reporters and media outlets, Forensic Architecture gathered together the most comprehensive collection of evidence for the presence of Russian military personnel and hardware throughout the battlefield.

In total, we gathered evidence of almost 300 Russian military vehicles around the Ukranian towns of Ilovaisk and Luhansk. We presented that evidence in an interactive cartographic platform.

Видео The Battle of Ilovaisk: Verifying Russian Military Presence in Eastern Ukraine канала Forensic Architecture