Bellingcat

Bellingcat geolocated footage showing coffins in newly dug trenches near La Esperanza, Venezuela, following recent earthquakes. Reports indicate 150 unidentified bodies were buried in individual graves at the site, with a resident noting refrigerated trucks transporting bodies. The death toll is estimated at over 3,500 and may reach 10,000.

The article discusses tools like NASA's fire-tracking tool, Copernicus Browser, and QGIS for analyzing wildfire damage, using Sicily's Zingaro Nature Reserve as a case study. It highlights the use of satellite imagery (Landsat, Sentinel-2) and vegetation health indices to assess burn severity and track fire recurrence linked to climate change.

Two devastating earthquakes struck northwestern Venezuela, causing at least 1,719 deaths and significant destruction. Satellite imagery from Planet Labs PBC reveals collapsed buildings in La Guaira, with residents expressing frustration over the government's recovery efforts.

Ian Dixon, a sanctioned member of the Kinahan cartel, was spotted playing padel in Dubai. The US Treasury sanctioned Dixon in 2022 for his role in the cartel's drug trafficking and money laundering operations. The article reveals his alias in Dubai and links to an associate recently extradited to Scotland.

Ashley Delgado died in 2023 from an overdose involving nitazenes, synthetic opioids up to 40 times more potent than fentanyl. These drugs, often laced into other substances, are spreading across the US despite DEA efforts to combat them.

The bulk carrier Grumant was observed at the occupied Ukrainian port of Feodosia, later delivering grain to Libya. Bellingcat used a new technique analyzing heading data from AIS information to track the ship, confirming its presence. This marks the second instance of a Russian ship transporting grain described as 'stolen' by Ukraine to Libya.

Viory, a video news agency based in Abu Dhabi, claims to provide journalism training and video content to global media but has been found to share digital infrastructure with Ruptly, a Russian propaganda outlet. Bellingcat identified links such as shared IP addresses and security certificates, though both Viory and Ruptly denied any connection.

Human Rights Watch and Bellingcat report a 2024 massacre in Myanmar's Rakhine State by the Arakan Army (AA), resulting in at least 170 Rohingya deaths and widespread village destruction. Clashes between the AA and Myanmar's military junta led to 40 burned villages in Buthidaung Township, with both sides committing civilian abuses. Evidence of civilian harm remains difficult to obtain due to military control.

Unexploded Russian-made cluster munitions were found in northern Mali's village of Tadjmart, violating the Convention on Cluster Munitions (CCM) to which Mali is a signatory. The Malian military claimed airstrikes in the area, and Russia's Africa Corps, supporting Mali's forces, is implicated. Social media footage and geolocation analysis confirm the munitions' presence.

Satellite imagery analysis by Bellingcat reveals that at least 46 of 54 towns and villages in southern Lebanon's IDF-controlled Yellow Line have been heavily damaged or destroyed since a ceasefire was agreed in April 2026. The destruction has accelerated during the first two months of the US-Israeli war against Iran, with Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz stating that all homes in Lebanese border villages will be demolished following the Gaza model.

Since 2026, at least four deadly landslides at the Rubaya coltan mines in the DRC have killed hundreds of people, with the true casualty count unclear due to M23's control restricting journalist access. Bellingcat used open-source methods to verify incidents, confirming villages were engulfed and residents killed, while authorities attribute the disasters to heavy rains during peak rainy season.

An investigation by Bellingcat and Colombian media outlet Cerosetenta reveals connections between Colombian politician Jorge Rodriguez and members of neo-Nazi group Active Club Bogota. Rodriguez, who ran unsuccessfully for Congress in 2026, was documented in a video painting over anti-Nazi graffiti alongside individuals with tattoos matching those of neo-Nazi group member Javier Ruiz. Both Rodriguez and Ruiz refused to answer questions about their relationship and threatened legal action.

Bellingcat has identified at least 80 damaged or destroyed police stations and law enforcement infrastructure in Iran during the first three weeks of a 2026 US-Israel military campaign. The strikes target Iran's repressive capacity, with the majority focused on police stations (30 incidents) and command centers (29 incidents). Israel and the US have conducted thousands of strikes against IRGC sites, military infrastructure, and now law enforcement agencies.

Chinese app Xiaohongshu (Little Red Book) has become a valuable resource for investigative journalists and researchers studying China and Chinese diaspora communities, despite China's strict digital controls. The platform's surge in international users following TikTok concerns has made it increasingly accessible to English-speaking audiences through new AI translation features, enabling global investigations.

A Bellingcat investigation reveals that Indian companies have shipped over 320 million tapentadol pills to West Africa between 2023 and 2025, with most consignments destined for Sierra Leone and Ghana where the opioid painkiller remains unapproved by regulators. The shipments, worth approximately $130 million, include dosages of 200mg or stronger that are not even approved in India itself, contributing to escalating opioid abuse epidemics in the region.

Almost 800 Hungarian government email addresses and passwords were exposed online, affecting 12 of 13 ministries and revealing poor security practices among staff using simple passwords. The breach occurred ahead of Hungary's election and follows a 2022 Russian cyberattack on the foreign ministry, indicating ongoing vulnerabilities in government IT security.

Bellingcat has launched an updated open-source tool called the Iran Conflict Damage Proxy Map to estimate building damage in Iran and the Gulf region using satellite imagery. The tool employs Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) data from the Sentinel-1 satellite and a damage detection algorithm to identify structural destruction when commercial satellite imagery access is restricted.

Bellingcat reports that the UAE has systematically downplayed damage from Iranian drone strikes and mischaracterized interceptions while arresting citizens for sharing footage and information online. The UAE authorities have warned against publishing images and videos of strikes, arresting over 135 people for sharing content deemed misleading. Open-source evidence contradicts official UAE statements about the extent and impact of Iranian attacks on the country.

Croatia's national football team signed a sponsorship deal with gambling website Dragon Z6 in May 2024, but the company's representative who signed the contract used a fake name. The man identified as "Alexander Smith" is actually Branko Balon, a computer science lecturer at Algebra Bernays University in Zagreb with connections to Chinese organizations.