How Open-Source Intelligence Is Shaping the Russia-Ukraine War (with Brady Africk)

Brady Africk was nearly a year into his role as a media relations associate at AEI when Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine took place. Feeling struck by the wrongness of the war, as he puts it on the podcast, he decided to harness his interest in the intersection between foreign policy and tech by publishing satellite imagery that tracked Russia’s activities. Over a year later, Africk’s maps are now a monumental asset to the war, having been featured in major news outlets and used by both fellow experts and personnel on the frontlines. On this episode of The Eastern Front, Africk joins Giselle, Dalibor, and Iulia to discuss what satellite imagery has taught him about the battlefield, US support for Ukraine, and where Ukraine might be headed. Africk also shares how open-source intelligence has changed people’s understanding of the war—for better and for worse.

Show notes: Sign up for The Eastern Front‘s bi-weekly newsletter here and follow us on Twitter here. “Ukraine Maps Show the Price of Allies’ Hesitation” by Brady Africk.