LingvaLexa's Research Featured in Foreign Policy: "The War Propaganda Fuels"

The LingvaLexa team, in cooperation with the OSCE Support Program for Ukraine and the Training Center of Prosecutors of Ukraine, has developed a specialized training course on the application of OSINT methodologies in investigating cases involving the forced transfer and disappearance of children. Alongside the course, the team prepared a practical handbook containing ready-to-use methodologies, tools, and resources for conducting open-source investigations.

The training program covers the full investigative cycle, providing participants with both theoretical knowledge and practical skills. The curriculum includes the legal framework for the use of OSINT, standards for maintaining the chain of custody of digital evidence in accordance with the Berkeley Protocol, digital security and digital hygiene, information verification, fact-checking, and web archiving techniques.

The course also introduces structured OSINT methodologies, advanced search techniques, reverse image search, GEOINT, the analysis of public registries and sanctions data, as well as link analysis and network visualization for identifying relationships between individuals involved in criminal activities.

The course was presented to representatives of the Office of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine, the National Police of Ukraine, and the Secretariat of the Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights working on child protection. The event provided a platform for a substantive discussion on the practical challenges of applying OSINT methodologies in one of the most sensitive categories of criminal investigations.

The training course and handbook are designed to strengthen the capacity of Ukrainian investigators and prosecutors to effectively use open-source intelligence in documenting international crimes. By combining legal standards with practical investigative techniques, these resources help transform digital traces into well-documented, legally sound, and court-admissible evidence.