OffBeat Research

Supplying the Frontline: Ukraine's Drone Logistics - OffBeat Research Dylan Burns reports alongside Ukrainian night drone teams on the front between Dnipro and Donetsk, where the evolution of drone operations has changed the face of warfare for better and worse.

New: Dylan Burns reports alongside Ukrainian night drone teams on the front between Dnipro and Donetsk, where the evolution of drone operations has changed the face of warfare for better and worse.
offbeatresearch.com/2025/10/supp...

The Accidental Liberation of Kafrnabl - OffBeat Research In Kafrnabl, Gregory Waters explores the stories of local residents who lived and often resisted through the Assad regime's decimation of life, and life's ultimate resurgence, in the town and longtime...

In Kafrnabl, Gregory Waters explores the stories of local residents who lived and often resisted through the Assad regime’s decimation of life, and life’s ultimate resurgence, in the town and longtime revolutionary hub. offbeatresearch.com/2025/08/the-...

The 59th Shkval Battalion: Holding the Front in Dnipro - OffBeat Research Dylan Burns and Devin Woodall follow the 59th Separate Assault Brigade's "Shkval" battalion of prisoners as they train to counter the Russian advance into Dnipro.

New: @dylanburnstv.bsky.social and @devinsanluis.bsky.social follow the 59th Brigade's "Shkval" battalion of prisoners while they train to hold the line as Russian forces threaten to advance further into Dnipro. offbeatresearch.com/2025/07/the-...

For OBR, Devin Woodall followed the 113th as they utilized several unique systems, including a retrofitted ZU-23-2 and a stolen Russian chaingun, in defense of cities and towns across Kharkiv whose residents live under the ever-increasing threat of Russian drone warfare.

From the Ashes of Occupation, Phoenix Squad Rises - OffBeat Research Devin Woodall reports alongside the 113th Separate Territorial Defense Brigade ‘Phoenix Squad’, whose volunteers spend their days hunting for Russian drones which constantly seek to disrupt the lives ...

New: @devinsanluis.bsky.social reports alongside the 113th Separate Territorial Defense Brigade 'Phoenix Squad', whose volunteer defenders work night and day to hunt down Russian drones intent on terrorizing locals in Kharkiv. offbeatresearch.com/2025/06/from...

Reclaiming Life Under Assad’s Rubble - OffBeat Research Gregory Waters reports from the towns of Suqaylabiyah and Qalaat al-Mudiq in the al-Ghab plain, where displaced residents are slowly returning home despite pervasive reminders of the death and destruc...

New: Gregory Waters reports from the towns of Suqaylabiyah and Qalaat al-Mudiq in Syria's al-Ghab plain, where displaced residents are slowly returning despite pervasive reminders of the death and destruction wrought by years of relentless regime bombardment. offbeatresearch.com/2025/05/recl...

India's Exploitation of Climate Change is Killing Kashmiri Women - Offbeat Research OP-ED: Women in Kashmir are at the forefront of the climate crisis, and India’s weaponization of climate change and water rights exists in pursuit of a policy which seeks to systematically oppress Kas...

New op-ed by Aisha Malik: India’s weaponization of climate change and water rights in Kashmir exists in pursuit of a policy which seeks to systematically oppress Kashmiri women and advance a total erasure of Kashmiri identity. offbeatresearch.com/2025/05/indi...

Dysfunction and Dereliction: The Collapse of the 155th Brigade Through a Deserter's Eyes - Offbeat Research Ukraine’s 155th Mechanized Brigade was positioned as the pinnacle of inter-European cooperation - but mass desertions and institutional ineptitude nearly derailed the project before it began. OffBeat ...

NEW: Ukraine’s 155th Mechanized was the pinnacle of European cooperation, but mass desertions nearly derailed the effort before it began. @dylanburnstv.bsky.social spoke to a deserter about his time in training and his decision to go AWOL during training in France offbeatresearch.com/2025/05/dysf...

The Road to Damascus: The Case for Normalization with the New Syrian Government - Offbeat Research For years, US policy in Syria has led from behind. In the shadow of HTS's evolution and the country's new reality, a pragmatic policy reassessment is long overdue.

ICYMI: The Case for Normalization with the New Syrian Government offbeatresearch.com/2025/03/the-...

The Road to Damascus: The Case for Normalization with the New Syrian Government - Offbeat Research For years, US policy in Syria has led from behind. In the shadow of HTS's evolution and the country's new reality, a pragmatic policy reassessment is long overdue.

New by Juwayriah Wright: The Case for Normalization with the New Syrian Government offbeatresearch.com/2025/03/the-...

The Road to Damascus: The Case for Normalization with the New Syrian Government - Offbeat Research For years, US policy in Syria has led from behind. In the shadow of HTS's evolution and the country's new reality, a pragmatic policy reassessment is long overdue.

New by Juwayriah Wright: The Case for Normalization with the New Syrian Government offbeatresearch.com/2025/03/the-...

3 Years On: Fragments of the Battle for Kyiv - Offbeat Research A retrospective on the lives of townspeople in Kyiv oblast during the early days of Russia’s 2022 invasion and failed attempts to encircle Kyiv.

Patrick Hilsman reflects on life and resilience in the towns surrounding Kyiv during the early days of Russia's full-scale invasion. offbeatresearch.com/2025/02/3-ye...

Governing on the Front Line in Sumy Oblast - Offbeat Research Dylan Burns tours Bilopillya - a front line town in Sumy oblast, whose residents have shown remarkable resilience amid nearly three years of indiscriminate Russian bombardment.

New: @dylanburnstv.bsky.social tours a town on the front line in Sumy oblast, where local residents and the town's civic life have shown remarkable resilience despite nearly three years of constant, indiscriminate Russian bombardment. offbeatresearch.com/2025/01/gove...

ICYMI:

Winter Training with the 100th Mechanized Brigade’s “Marder” Crew - Offbeat Research Dylan Burns observes training movements from the 100th Mechanized Brigade’s IFV “Marder” crew outside Toretsk, in Donetsk oblast.

Happy New Year's Eve! New from @dylanburnstv.bsky.social today is a (snowy) report from his recent embed with Ukraine's 100th Mechanized Brigade as their crews field several unique Western-provided IFVs, including the German-made "Marder". offbeatresearch.com/2024/12/wint...

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Russia Bets on Pokrovsk Push as Resistance Stiffens - Offbeat Research Dylan Burns embeds with a Grad artillery team near the crucial front line city of Pokrovsk, where Russian advances threaten to topple one of Ukraine's major logistical hubs.

New: @dylanburnstv.bsky.social embeds with a Grad artillery team near the crucial front line city of Pokrovsk, where Russian advances threaten to topple one of Ukraine’s major logistical hubs. offbeatresearch.com/2024/11/russ...

The wreckage of a technical vehicle reportedly belonging to the pro-regime Liwa al-Quds, after being targeted by opposition forces in Syria. / Photo credit: Omar Albam

Meanwhile, Syrian opposition forces are reportedly leafleting in various areas across the Aleppo countryside, warning regime forces to defect or face death.

As part of the ongoing Aleppo countryside offensive, local fighters are seen defacing a propaganda poster featuring Bashar al-Assad.

Scenes show opposition forces fighting to seize artillery positions held at "Base 46", the long-prized position from which members of the Assad regime's 46th regiment carry out indiscriminate artillery shelling on nearby towns. / Photos credit: Mohamad Kazmooz

Syrian opposition forces under the newly formed "Military Operations Department" joint ops room showcase the seizure of the crucial M5 highway as part of their ongoing offensive against regime coalition forces, including Hezbollah and Iran, in the Aleppo countryside.

Fighters from among the newly launched operations room carrying out the ongoing offensive pose for photos at the onset of the operation. / Photos credit: Muhammad al-Dahir

A map showing the approximate gains of an offensive military operation, ongoing as of November 27, 2024, by Syrian opposition forces pushing into regime-held territory in the Aleppo countryside. / Photo credit: Kawalees Syria (كواليس سوريا), Facebook

Towns including Sheikh Aqil, Anjara, and Urum al-Kubra were reportedly seized by Syrian opposition forces in Aleppo as part of a major offensive intended to counter indiscriminate regime shelling on towns in the region. / Photo credit: Kawalees Syria (كواليس سوريا) via Facebook

The crew's commander, Jäger, launches a single rocket at a Russian position near the front before the team quickly departs the area to avoid any potential retaliatory fire.

Read Burns' full report here: offbeatresearch.com/2024/11/russ...

The crew's commander, Jäger, launches a single rocket at a Russian position near the front before the team quickly departs the area to avoid any potential retaliatory fire.

Read Burns' full report here: offbeatresearch.com/2024/11/russ...

The commander of a Ukrainian Grad crew sits perched on his truck under a tree as part of an interview regarding conditions on the front. Photo credit: Dylan Burns for Offbeat Research

Burns analyzes the history, background, and contemporary importance of Pokrovsk to the Ukrainian economy and wartime efforts, and speaks to the Grad crew's commander, "Jäger", about morale on the front and the impact of munition shortages on military operations. offbeatresearch.com/2024/11/russ...

Russia Bets on Pokrovsk Push as Resistance Stiffens - Offbeat Research Dylan Burns embeds with a Grad artillery team near the crucial front line city of Pokrovsk, where Russian advances threaten to topple one of Ukraine's major logistical hubs.

New: @dylanburnstv.bsky.social embeds with a Grad artillery team near the crucial front line city of Pokrovsk, where Russian advances threaten to topple one of Ukraine’s major logistical hubs. offbeatresearch.com/2024/11/russ...

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