Conflict & crisis Hub

The Conflict & Crisis Hub brings together the most relevant and insightful materials on disinformation in times of conflict and crisis. It’s a curated space that connects news, research, and tools chosen for their value and clarity. Here, you can find what’s most worth reading, watching, and exploring, all through a single, trusted platform.

Why this hub?

Since the beginning of the decade, the world has been stricken by a global pandemic, natural disasters, and a twofold increase in armed conflicts, with 2023 marking one of the most violent years since the end of the Cold War, recording 59 conflicts worldwide.

All this has worsened an already fragile information landscape. Disinformation expands significantly during moments of political, economic, and social unrest, from wars and humanitarian crises to public health emergencies. In such contexts, it acts as fuel for instability, amplifying fear, undermining trust, and distorting information vital for saving lives and protecting rights.

The Conflict & Crisis Hub is designed to help you map out these dynamics, how false or manipulated information spreads during emergencies and how societies, platforms, and institutions respond.

What you’ll find here

  • News & Frontlines highlights noteworthy developments and analyses on disinformation in conflict and crisis contexts, a curated selection refreshed monthly for what’s most relevant and revealing.
  • Disinfo in Depth gathers reports and analyses from academics, CSOs, and international organisations, divided into two main areas: Conflicts and Crises.
  • Multimedia Library features podcasts and webinars exploring the link between information and emergencies.
  • Community Resources offers practical tools to track and counter disinformation, alongside initiatives and organisations dedicated to protecting information integrity in conflict and crisis settings.

In short, this hub is your go-to space for exploring how disinformation shapes and amplifies conflicts and crises. It brings together the most relevant insights, tools, and analyses, fostering collaboration among researchers, practitioners, and policymakers to navigate an increasingly complex information landscape.

Together, we’re building a community to tackle these challenges head-on, promoting awareness and digital literacy.

NEWS & frontlines

The most recent news on platforms and disinformation in conflict or crisis, updated monthly

key updates

The Guardian: Donald Trump’s false claim linking paracetamol in pregnancy to autism sparked swift rebuttals worldwide. Experts warned that such high-profile misinformation risks eroding trust in science and deterring safe medical treatment.

United Nations Peacekeeping: portraying misinformation, disinformation, and hate speech as emerging “weapons of war,” this article shows how false narratives in conflict zones fuel tensions, endanger peacekeepers, and erode trust with communities. Examples from the DRC and Abyei illustrate how crises can be escalated through rumours, while missions respond by tracking disinformation, engaging directly with communities, and reinforcing information integrity despite weaker platform moderation

Global Voices: Disinformation campaigns in South Asia portray Rohingya refugees as criminals or demographic “threats,” recycling images and fabrications across borders. Fact-checkers have debunked dozens of viral hoaxes, but partisan media and political actors continue to amplify anti-immigrant narratives.

EuvsDisinfo: Russia paired drone strikes on Poland and Romania with a flood of FIMI narratives. Kremlin-aligned outlets denied responsibility, mocked Polish defences, and spread false-flag claims blaming Ukraine, NATO, or the West, a smokescreen tactic to obscure evidence of incursions. Euronews notes that these included bizarre claims: that a storm caused the damage to a Polish home and accusations that Ukraine staged the attacks as a “false flag.”

Open Measures: This article compiles an analysis of “Pallywood” and “Gazawood” conspiracy narratives, showing how claims that Palestinians staged suffering surged during Gaza famine reports in mid-2025. Mentions shifted from alt-tech platforms like 4chan and Truth Social to TikTok and Bluesky, circulating through partisan and anti-Islam sources to discredit Palestinian journalism.

Cyabra: During Nepal’s September 2025 protests, which left 72 dead, Cyabra uncovered that 34% of online profiles were fake accounts amplifying violent narratives. The case highlights how coordinated inauthentic behaviour can intensify unrest and destabilise fragile political contexts.

Justice for Myanmar: This research exposes how Myanmar’s junta, with Chinese firm Geedge Networks and 13 local telecom operators, uses a “Great Firewall” system for mass surveillance and censorship. Beyond tracking and persecuting civilians, the system enables the junta to manipulate information flows and spread disinformation, turning digital tools into weapons of repression and control.

Reporters Without Borders: Ahead of COP30, this organisation warns that Amazonian journalists face violence, financial precarity, and climate disinformation, undermining coverage of the rainforest crisis. Across Brazil, Peru, Colombia, Ecuador, and Bolivia, reporters are threatened or killed, while weak media sustainability allows industry-backed propaganda.

CEDMO: This article compiles evidence on conspiracy theories around the HAARP project falsely link ionospheric research to earthquakes, floods, droughts, and even mind control. In Central Europe, such claims tie Czech weather radars to artificial weather manipulation, fuelling mistrust of institutions and exploiting natural disasters to spread pseudoscience.

Recorded Future: Two large state-aligned influence networks, Hidden Charkha (pro-India) and Khyber Defender (pro-Pakistan), were active during the April–May 2025 India-Pakistan standoff. Using coordinated inauthentic behaviour, forged “leaks,” and AI-generated visuals, both amplified escalation narratives and claims of technological superiority, though with limited organic engagement.

Bellingcat: Bellingcat’s guide sets out practical OSINT techniques to monitor hard-to-access conflict zones amid internet shutdowns and rampant misinformation, using Manipur as a case study. It walks through weapon ID, reverse-image checks, InVID video analysis, and assessing contested claims (e.g., looted arms and alleged weaponised drones).

Lupa: A investigation reveals new details on Russia’s Global Fact-Checking Network (GFCN), which not only mirrors Western initiatives but systematically aggregates checks to amplify Kremlin talking points. The platform devotes disproportionate attention to discrediting Western media and EU institutions, regularly siding with figures such as Donald Trump, and even enlisting foreign bloggers to attack Romanian and other European critics. Analysts note this reflexive strategy marks an escalation: weaponising the “fact-checking” format itself to legitimise disinformation and undermine independent verification.

Eurovision News: An open-source investigation finds an Israeli state-run hasbara operation using Google/Meta ads, paid influencers and military tours to shape the global narrative on Gaza and counter critics. 

Atlantic Council: This analysis shows how Russia’s 2025 summer offensive failed, with minimal gains and huge losses, undermining the Kremlin’s core disinformation narrative of “inevitable victory.” The collapse of this myth highlights the gap between Russian propaganda claims and battlefield reality.

Organised by Digital and Media Literacy, this session will examine the impact of medical misinformation and how media literacy helps citizens, especially vulnerable groups, navigate health narratives. It presents case studies and collaborations with public health actors, offering practical tools for educators, NGOs, and civil society to counter pseudoscience and conspiracy theories.

In depth

A repository of research papers and articles from academia, international organisations, and civil society organisations addressing key questions and trends related to conflict and crisis

Israel–Hamas

A compilation of articles and reports on disinformation linked to the Israel–Hamas war, from propaganda campaigns to online influence efforts.

WAR IN UKRAINE

Curated materials on disinformation surrounding Russia’s war against Ukraine, covering narratives, tactics, and international responses.

Cross-cutting conflict issues

Articles and analyses that trace disinformation themes and tactics appearing across multiple conflicts worldwide.

Health crises

A compilation of articles and reports on disinformation during health crises, from Covid-19 to emerging outbreaks.

Natural disaster crises

Materials on how disinformation exploits earthquakes, floods, fires and other natural disasters to spread fear or mistrust.

Cross-cutting crisis issues

Articles highlighting disinformation tactics and narratives that recur across different crises worldwide.

Multimedia LIBRARY

A collection of webinars and podcasts from us and the wider community, dedicated to conflict and crisis.

Webinars

A collection of our own and community webinars examining how disinformation shapes and fuels conflicts and crises

podcasts

A collection of podcasts examining how disinformation shapes and fuels conflicts and crises

Community resources

Efforts and tools to guarantee a safe information environment during conflicts and crisis

Tools, guides & tips

Practical instruments and digital solutions developed to detect, track, and counter disinformation during conflicts and crises

The Center for Countering Digital Hate offers practical guidance on how to avoid spreading disinformation, to increase your own information resilience, and to practise self-care during conflicts, emergencies, and disasters, and how to report social media posts that spread lies, conspiracies or misleading claims to the different platforms.

Bellingcat provides tools and resources to think critically about sources found online. In this short guide, the organisation gives a few tips on what to consider when confronted with an abundance of footage and claims. 

In January 2022, the Centre for Information Resilience launched the Eyes on Russia Map to collect and verify videos, photos, satellite imagery and other media information related to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The map represents the community’s effort to verify, analyze, and map what has happened in Ukraine since the escalation of Russia’s aggression in the country at the start of 2022. The map is a collaborative effort driven by CIR, involving GeoConfirmed, Bellingcat, and a wide range of volunteers and organisations that have supported it. thread for more information about the geolocation of Russian firing positions causing destruction in Ukraine.  

NATO’s official framework for tackling disinformation and information manipulation as national security threats.

This guidance piece offers concrete recommendations for UN missions on navigating information threats in conflict settings.

This RAND practical guide offers a 17-point social media checklist to help responders and citizens counter disaster-related misinformation. Designed as a quick, hands-on tool, it translates research into actionable steps for real-time crisis communication.

BBC Specialist disinformation reporter Marianna Spring shares tips on how to spot fake news and false posts about the war in Ukraine. 

Defend Democracy provides guidance on how to share information responsibly. 

 Human rights defenders, journalists, activists, and others speaking out on these issues are facing repressive tactics both in person and online. This digital resilience tip sheet by Access Now and SMEX supports you in defending against reported threats.

Initiatives & organisations

Community-driven projects and networks working to protect information integrity and support resilience in conflict and crisis contexts

Announced by the European Commission in 2025, the Global Health Resilience Initiative (GHRI) aims to tackle health disinformation globally and strengthen resilience against future health crises. Still in early stages with no defined budget or implementation details.

Note: Political initiative on emerging phase: track for updates.

Supports partnerships local / international, builds societal resilience, counters foreign influence narratives

The organization has built a timeline of how cyberattacks and operations have been targeting critical infrastructure and civilian objects. On June 16, Cyberpeace Institute launched its ‘Cyber Attacks in Times of Conflict Platform #Ukraine’, which includes attacks against not only Ukraine but also the Russian Federation, and other countries impacted by attacks linked to this armed conflict. This Platform also provides a breakdown of attacks by the different sectors affected such as telecommunications, energy, transport, etc., and the harms and impact for people and society.  

A “master framework” for coordinating responses to influence operations, information manipulation, foreign malign influence, etc.

Independent NGO focusing on countering disinformation and state-sponsored propaganda; publishes daily monitoring & analysis.

Provides guides, tools, and lessons to help NGOs defend themselves against mis/disinformation campaigns.

Supports CSOs, media, and governments to counter disinformation in volatile environments and crisis settings.

ZIF provides “one-stop” services and expertise on peace operations integrating training, the secondment of German civilian personnel, international capacity development, research and analysis under one roof. Works on strengthening mission capacities to monitor and push back disinformation that targets missions.

Thematic hubs (ARCHIVE)

This hub is a central space for collecting resource hubs developed in response to major global conflicts and crises that generate high volumes of mis- and disinformation. By documenting and organising responses to these events, it aims to foster a culture of crisis preparedness – equipping institutions, researchers, and civil society with lessons learned and tools for future response.

Currently, it includes archives on the COVID-19 pandemic, the war in Ukraine, and the Israel-Hamas armed conflict. Each was created in real time to support clarity, counter disinformation, and provide accessible tools and verified information at critical early stages.

While none of the individual hubs are actively updated, they remain available as living archives – a record of the efforts made to navigate chaotic information environments, support public understanding, and resist the spread of harmful falsehoods. We invite researchers, practitioners, and the broader community to explore these repositories and continue building on this work. Reliable, transparent information remains one of the strongest tools in times of crisis.

Resources

Israel-Hamas armed conflict resource hub

Essential information and links to reliable research, analysis and fact-checks to help you navigate during this crisis.

Read more

Resources

Ukraine War Resource Hub

Essential information and links to reliable research, analysis and fact-checks to help you navigate during this crisis.

Read more

Resources

COVID-19 Resource Hub

Check out our resource hub for the coronavirus pandemic, comprising of national, international, and platform responses to the infodemic, as well as research and initiatives.

Read more

Last updated: 07/10/2025

The articles and resources listed in this hub do not necessarily represent EU DisinfoLab’s position. This resource is designed to support open dialogue and highlight a broad range of voices working to counter disinformation in conflict and crisis settings.