Ukraine Conflict Observatory

The Yale Humanitarian Research Lab (HRL) will document alleged gross violations of international law and war crimes by Russia-aligned forces in Ukraine as part of a new Conflict Observatory program announced by the U.S. Department of State Bureau for Conflict and Stabilization Operations (CSO) in partnership with Esri, the Smithsonian Cultural Rescue Initiative, Planetscape Ai, and other partners.

In April, the HRL provided a detailed report focused on five cities and regions in Ukraine to the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe Moscow Mechanism to support their investigation into alleged violations of international law in Ukraine. The HRL verified damage through cross-corroboration of very high resolution satellite imagery and open source information.

Based on a review of nearly 300 facilities across five cities and regions, the HRL has concluded that Russia-aligned forces have engaged in widespread and systematic bombardment of Ukrainian healthcare facilities. The HRL found that 22 of the 277 (about 8%) healthcare facilities in Ukraine that were reviewed have sustained damage from apparent Russian bombardment between 24 February and 29 March 2022.