Conflict Intelligence Team
A Russian-founded independent investigative group specializing in open-source and human intelligence about armed conflicts.
Last updated October 14, 2026
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Overview
Conflict Intelligence Team (CIT) is an independent investigative organization founded in 2014 by Russian opposition activist and programmer Ruslan Leviev. The group examines military activity and conflict-related events through open-source intelligence, human intelligence, geolocation, imagery analysis, social-media material, mapping, and comparison of public statements with available evidence. Its work has focused particularly on the involvement and conduct of Russian forces in Ukraine and Syria, while also addressing developments in Libya, the Central African Republic, Belarus, and other conflict settings. CIT emerged from Leviev's political and online activism. After observing what he regarded as extensive fraud during Russia's 2011 State Duma elections, he became involved with the Russian opposition. During the Euromaidan protests and the subsequent political and military crisis surrounding Ukraine, he began organizing coverage and investigation of events connected with the Russo-Ukrainian War. The project initially operated under the name War in Ukraine, or WiU. Following the beginning of Russia's military intervention in the Syrian civil war, the group adopted the name Conflict Intelligence Team in September 2015 to reflect a broader geographic and analytical remit. The organization has remained comparatively small. Reference material describes it as having six participants, with the identities of most members withheld for security reasons and all members being Russian citizens. Its investigations have nevertheless received international attention through cooperation with major media organizations, including the BBC, Reuters, Sky News, and Der Spiegel. CIT's role has generally been that of an investigative and analytical partner rather than a conventional commercial publisher or large media outlet. In Syria, CIT investigated the presence and activities of Russian personnel, including reported deaths of Russian soldiers and the use of cluster munitions. By analyzing photographs, maps, and other publicly available material, it challenged official Russian claims that Russian troops were not participating in ground combat. In relation to the 2014 downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17, CIT worked with Bellingcat to examine the circumstances of the incident in the Donetsk region. It also participated with Bellingcat, The Insider, and Proekt in identifying alleged suspects in the 2018 poisoning of Sergei and Yulia Skripal. In 2020, the group investigated the killing of Alexander Taraikovsky during the Belarusian protests. Before Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, CIT published reporting on preparations and indicators of the impending attack. The group's work generated substantial pressure inside Russia. Reported threats included attempts to initiate criminal proceedings against Leviev, a summons from the military prosecutor's office, an assault by an unidentified person, death threats by telephone, and a hacking attack attributed to CyberBerkut. On March 5, 2022, CIT announced that it had left Russia so it could continue operating. In May 2022, Russian authorities charged Leviev in absentia under the country's March 2022 law criminalizing what the government characterized as false information about the armed forces. The Committee to Protect Journalists criticized the case. In August 2023, the Russian government designated CIT an undesirable organization, making cooperation with and activity on behalf of the group subject to criminal penalties under Russian law. CIT's identity is therefore closely associated with independent conflict verification, Russian military accountability reporting, and the use of digital evidence to investigate events that governments dispute or restrict. Its public profile has been shaped both by the international circulation of its investigations and by the legal and physical risks faced by its personnel. The organization relocated its operations to Georgia in 2022, according to reference material, while continuing its investigative work outside Russia.
History
Conflict Intelligence Team was established in 2014 by Ruslan Leviev, a programmer from Surgut who had become involved in Russian opposition activity after the 2011 State Duma elections. The project first operated as War in Ukraine, or WiU, and concentrated on the Euromaidan protests, Russia's annexation of Crimea, and the war in Donbas. Its investigations examined evidence of Russian military participation and sought to distinguish verifiable events from official narratives. The expansion of Russia's military involvement into Syria led the project to adopt the name Conflict Intelligence Team in September 2015. The new name reflected the group's wider focus on conflicts involving Russian forces. CIT used publicly available photographs, videos, maps, satellite and geographic clues, social-media posts, and interviews or other human sources. The organization remained small, with reference material describing six participants, and withheld the identities of most members because of security concerns. CIT's Syria reporting examined Russian military personnel, deaths of Russian soldiers, and alleged use of cluster munitions. Its analysis challenged official claims that Russian forces were not engaged in ground combat. The group also collaborated with Bellingcat on the investigation of the 2014 Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 shoot-down in eastern Ukraine. In the Skripal poisoning investigation, CIT worked alongside Bellingcat, The Insider, and Proekt to publish alleged real names of suspects. The organization later investigated the killing of Alexander Taraikovsky during Belarus's 2020–2021 protests and reported on Russia's preparations for the 2022 invasion of Ukraine. CIT's work was distributed in part through partnerships with major international media outlets, including the BBC, Reuters, Sky News, and Der Spiegel. At the same time, the group experienced escalating pressure in Russia. Reported incidents included attempted criminal cases against Leviev, a summons to the military prosecutor's office, an assault by an unknown person, telephone death threats, and a hacking attack associated with CyberBerkut. On March 5, 2022, CIT stated that it had left Russia. The relocation enabled the group to continue working outside the immediate reach of Russian authorities; reference material places its post-2022 operations in Georgia. In May 2022, Leviev was charged in absentia under Russia's wartime law on allegedly false information concerning the armed forces. In August 2023, Russian authorities designated CIT an undesirable organization. This designation further increased the legal risks for the group, its collaborators, and people who disseminate or support its work. CIT's historical significance rests on its role in applying open-source and human-intelligence methods to contested military events, especially those involving Russia.
- 2023
Declared an undesirable organization
[1]The Russian government designated CIT an undesirable organization in August.
- 2022
Relocation from Russia
[1]CIT announced its departure from Russia on March 5 and continued its work from abroad.
- 2020
Investigation into the death of Alexander Taraikovsky
[1]The group examined the killing of a participant in the Belarusian protests.
- 2018
Joint Skripal poisoning investigation
[1]CIT worked with Bellingcat, The Insider, and Proekt on identifying alleged suspects in the poisoning of Sergei and Yulia Skripal.
- 2015
Adopts the Conflict Intelligence Team name
[1]The project changed its name from War in Ukraine after the start of Russia's military intervention in Syria.
- 2014
Project founded as War in Ukraine
[1]Ruslan Leviev founded the project to document and investigate events connected with the Euromaidan, Crimea, and the war in Donbas.
Products and positioning
An independent, security-conscious investigative organization that combines open-source and human intelligence to document military activity and contested events.
Investigative research · 2014
Conflict investigations
CIT produces investigations into military deployments, battlefield events, casualties, weapons use, and disputed official accounts. Its methodology combines open-source material with human intelligence and emphasizes the comparison, verification, and geographic analysis of evidence.
Investigative journalism services
Media research partnerships
The group contributes research and analytical findings to international media organizations. Reported partners include the BBC, Reuters, Sky News, and Der Spiegel, allowing CIT's conflict analysis to reach audiences beyond its own publishing channels.
Controversies
Brand decisions
2022
Relocates operations outside RussiaStrategyBackground
The organization faced legal and physical threats in Russia while reporting on the war and Russian military activity.
Action taken
CIT announced on March 5 that it had left Russia; reference material identifies Georgia as its relocation destination.
Aftermath
The move allowed the organization to continue its investigations from abroad, while Russian authorities later pursued legal action against Leviev and designated CIT undesirable.
2015
Broadens the project from War in Ukraine to Conflict Intelligence TeamStrategyBackground
The beginning of Russia's military intervention in Syria expanded the geographic scope of the group's investigations beyond Ukraine.
Action taken
The organization changed its name from War in Ukraine to Conflict Intelligence Team.
Aftermath
The new identity reflected investigations involving Russian forces in multiple international conflicts.
Recent events
- 2023
Russia designates Conflict Intelligence Team an undesirable organization[1]
Regulation
In August 2023, the Russian government placed CIT on its undesirable-organization list, criminalizing specified forms of cooperation with or activity on behalf of the group.
- 2022
Conflict Intelligence Team leaves Russia[1]
Other
CIT announced on March 5, 2022 that it had left Russia in order to continue its investigative work.
- 2022
Ruslan Leviev charged under Russia's wartime information law[1]
Lawsuit · Regulation
Russian authorities charged Leviev in absentia in May under legislation adopted in March 2022 concerning allegedly false information about the armed forces. The Committee to Protect Journalists criticized the case.
Sources2 sources
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