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New PlanetScope imagery captured today, July 28, reveals the extent of the damage from the wildfires in Bordeaux, France.

Wildfires have devastated parts of Europe this past week, particularly in France and Spain, where more than 330,000 people have been evacuated. With temperatures expected to rise again, the risk of further damage remains. Learn to track active fires with open sources: www.youtube.com/watch?v=dmnf...

At Bellingcat we turn obsessive curiosity into a teachable research skill, build the public community space to practice it, and continually innovate solutions to drive discovery forward. Become a member: www.bellingcat.com/donate/?utm_...

Why are so many newsrooms embracing membership? This week's Stage Talk explores one of journalism's biggest shifts: why membership is replacing traditional funding models for many publishers, what it means for audiences, and why we're adopting it too. discord.gg/a9TVpY8R6?ev...

Bellingcat is a global collective uncovering facts to hold power to account. We share everything, including our methods, because the truth belongs to everyone. Support our work by joining our membership program: www.bellingcat.com/donate/?utm_...

We recently documented the use of banned Russian cluster munitions in Mali, providing further evidence that increasingly destructive weapons associated with Russia's war in Ukraine are now being deployed by Africa Corps in the Sahel. www.bellingcat.com/news/africa/...

Weapons expert, Leo Jarry, told Bellingcat that the drone provides Africa Corps and FAMa with an "expendable, cost-effective" long-range strike capability.

Unlike other drones used by Mali's Armed Forces that are built to carry small precision-guided munitions before returning to base, the Shahed-136 series is designed to be destroyed on impact, delivering an explosive payload over longer distances.

Originally developed by Iran but now also manufactured in Russia, the Shahed-136 family is a series of long-range one-way attack drones.

Defence Blog and France 24 previously reported that these drones were being deployed on the battlefield in northern Mali. Leo Jarry, a drone expert with Tungsten strategies, told Bellingcat: "If the drones are Russian manufactured, they represent a visible demonstration of Russian support for Mali.”

The second strike in Talahandak on July 17 appears to have struck a truck carrying oil. We geolocated three separate videos of the strike to the same area, including one video posted by a Wagner-affiliated account that shows the drone descending towards the target.

We located the first strike to the town of Inafarak on July 12. The strike appears to have hit a commercial facility, with a damaged truck and damaged fuel drums visible. Within footage taken of the aftermath, an MD-550 engine component is visible, a remnant used in the Shahed-136 drone family.

In recent years, Russian forces, first through the Wagner Group and now through its successor, Africa Corps, have supported the Malian Armed Forces (FAMa) in operations against rebel groups.

As fighting intensifies in Mali, Bellingcat has verified two recent strikes that used Shahed-136 type kamikaze drones. Video footage of the strikes provides the clearest open-source evidence to date of use of these drones in the conflict www.bellingcat.com/news/2026/07...

Suniel K. Sharma has been sanctioned in the 21st sanctions package. @tomi-mcc.bsky.social and my article with Bellingcat on his organisation: www.bellingcat.com/news/2026/02...

Want to see how these tools fit together? Our latest video shows how Bellingcat researchers use open source tools and data to reconstruct the timeline of a wildfire. www.youtube.com/watch?v=dmnf...

Open source tools can help track every stage of a wildfire, from the first reports through to assessing the damage once the flames are out. Throughout July, the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service helped researchers monitor how wildfire smoke spread across Canada and the US.

Bellingcat is a global collective uncovering facts to hold power to account. We share everything, including our methods, because the truth belongs to everyone. Support our work by joining our membership program: www.bellingcat.com/donate/?utm_...

The leaders of the CPJ movement are reported to have said they will continue protesting but will pause street marches after the violence of July 20. www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/7/...

While Delhi police initially denied that there had been violence or detentions at the march, they later detailed that 118 officers had been injured at the protest and referred to media reports detailing injuries to protesters.