Project Mariupol
Memory
Project Mariupol: How we record international crimes in Ukraine
Figure: Screenshot of the Project Mariupol map. Available at: https://map.osintforukraine.com/
Project Mariupol is our two-stage project where we document international crimes committed in Ukraine. The first stage, ‘A Record of Evil’, is our standalone experimental project where we conduct sourcing and mapping of potential international crimes committed in Ukraine via open sources. This experimental project serves as a testament to how civilians and beginners in OSINT and investigations can source data on international crimes. The second stage, ‘A Gateway to Evidence’, after public feedback in stage 1 will aim to conduct further analysis of information and evidentiary archiving to increase the reliability of the project.
“The first casualty of war is truth, and the main casualty of war is innocence; war crimes exist where these two meet”.
Figure: Comparison of a video showcasing the damage of the building post drone strike & Street view imagery of the building in question
Stages of Project Mariupol
Stage 1
The first stage of the project was structured around a team of around 15 - 20 volunteers, each contributing their knowledge and skills to the project under the leadership of a head coordinator. A central excel spreadsheet (staging sheet) was at the heart of the project's workflow, serving as the main working document. This spreadsheet was divided into seven subcategories, each representing a distinct aspect of the conflict and potential areas where international crimes might occur. The data then was uploaded on our map where we overlaid the crime data with information of Russian military units in and around Ukraine since 2022.
Stage 2
The second stage, ‘A Gateway to Evidence’, after public feedback in stage 1 will aim to improve the project by focusing on archiving and legal analysis of the data/information collected. Therefore, current data will be reverified and uploaded onto a more secure database storing platform such as Atlos. In parallel we will also improve the RU military units overlay by adding Unit symbology and size indicators as well as artillery range tool for artillery units.
Stage 2.5
In the third iteration of the project we will be working with a solid foundation created by the second stage, whereby this will allow us to add new information to the database and map with confidence via our archiving and verification structure developed in our stage 2. Furthermore, we will also build on the military units by adding what types of equipment each ground unit has as well as adding new types of units such as Naval and Air units to the overlay. At this stage the map would be able to serve as both a tool for investigators, an archive for researchers and a possible gateway to evidence for prosecutors and accountability bodies.
Figure: Stage 1 report of Project Mariupol published by our project team in March 2024.