Open-Source Intelligence and the War in Ukraine

Open-Source Intelligence (OSINT), Intelligence gathered using publicly available data from sources such as social media, has changed how we think about intelligence gathering and secrecy. Though OSINT has been used for years by researchers, Russia's war in Ukraine has illustrated the effectiveness of OSINT tools for both researchers, and governments around the world. In his address to the IIEA, George Barros discusses the growing importance of OSINT, how OSINT may change the future of intelligence gathering, and provide his assessment on the ongoing war in Ukraine. 

About the Speaker:

George Barros is the Russia Team & Geospatial Intelligence Team Lead on the Russia and Ukraine portfolio at the Institute for the Study of War. George's work with the Russia and Ukraine portfolio focuses on Russian information operations, the Kremlin’s operational art and campaign design in Ukraine and Belarus, and Ukrainian politics. His work within the Geospatial Intelligence Team focuses on innovating ISW's open-source research methodology with remote sensing data collection, data visualization, and geospatial analysis. George received his B.A. with Honors in International Relations and Global Studies with a concentration in Russian and Post-Soviet Studies from the College of William & Mary. Prior to joining ISW, he worked in the U.S. House of Representatives as an advisor on Ukraine and Russia for a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee.