Conflict Observatory

Satellite image of Syria desert
Photo by USGS on Unsplash

DESCRIPTION

The Conflict Observatory, a consortium of research groups, captures, analyzes, and makes widely available evidence of war crimes and other atrocities committed during Russia's war against Ukraine.

As a member of the consortium, CURIA uses open source investigation methods to support legal accountability processes in three areas: in culture; religion; and the environment.

Project Personnel

Katherine Harrell

Director of Research

Kate Harrell worked with the Conflict Observatory Ukraine in various capacities since 2022, first as a Senior Research Fellow at the Virginia Museum of Natural History and then as the CO Project Manager at the Bureau of Conflict and Stabilization Operations at the US Department of State. In her role as Director of Research for the CURIA Conflict Observatory, she directed and supported investigations into the Russian destruction of cultural property in Ukraine, Russian cultural warfare campaigns through social media, and religious persecution in occupied Ukraine. Kate holds a Ph.D. in archaeology and is pursuing a J.D. at the University of Virginia School of Law.

Fiona Greenland

Principal Investigator

Fiona Greenland is Associate Professor of Sociology and faculty affiliate of the Interdisciplinary Archaeology Program at the University of Virginia. In 2023-2024 she served as principal investigator and team lead for the CURIA Conflict Observatory Ukraine. She continues to research cultural heritage loss and recovery in Ukraine. Please direct questions about the CURIA Conflict Observatory, including accessing investigations data, to her: fg5t [at] virginia.edu.