THE CRISIS IN UKRAINE

For over a year, I have lived in Ukraine to document the war, the people, the history and culture and music of the country. It has been a humbling experience and it is far from over. Thank you to all of those people who supported the efforts to document and bring aid. The in country experiences and friendships will be with me forever. The support from abroad has been invaluable. We have so much more to do.

Your donation helps cover costs to travel, help Ukrainian fixers and translators and have more direct access to the news in country. We will not rely upon advertisements and or gimmicks to get the job done. Your help keeps us focused on the tasks. Thank you.

NATSECMEDIA

News from Ukraine

SAMPSONSHOTS

Photography and Videography

THE MUSIC

Music recordings from Ukraine

MUSIC-THE HEART OF A NATION: A journey through the music of Ukraine

You can know a people through the music they play, dance to, celebrate with and mourn those who pass. Ukraine has a vibrant music tradition and the path across the country is loaded with variety and expression.

CRISIS IN UKRAINE: PART TWO - A day in Bucha: First hand account of atrocities in Ukraine

Days after the Russians invaded Ukraine, they descended upon the small town of Bucha, just west of the capital, Kyiv. For weeks the battle ensued in the town until the Russian forces withdrew on March 31, 2022. The Russians were under command of Gennady Bayur, commander of the VDV’s 234th Air Assault Regiment. Like many other commanders in this war, he died just days later in Bucha on March 11, 2022. The Russian digital sphere said he died of a land mine, but we may never know. 

ATTACKS ON DEMOCRACY

BEFORE THE JANUARY 6, 2020 Insurrection:
On Tuesday, September 8, 2020, Katy Tur spoke with former FBI Special Agent Frank Figliuzzi and Chris Sampson about the pending threats around the 2020 Election. Online chatter and real world comments indicate there is a serious threat of retribution if Trump legitimately loses the election. As Trump consistently tells his supporters there is only one way he’d lose, rigged and stolen election, his supporters then feel no other possibility exists. This has created an unparalleled threat problem with talk of violence.

ORDER NOW

Hacking ISIS released in April 2017 An overview of the ISIS online battlespace and players, Hacking ISIS covers the ISIS internet campaign to recruit, embolden and deploy its terrorist network reach. From Propaganda releases to their script kiddie hackers, we look at their operations and the counter-operations by nation states, organizations and individuals. As the physical caliphate dissolves the group will turn more and more to its online resources to extend its reach and longevity. Available now.

ALSO AVAILABLE

PUTIN’S ASYMMETRIC ASSAULT ON DEMOCRACY IN RUSSIA AND EUROPE: Implications for U.S. National Security

In Putin’s Asymmetric Assault on Democracy in Russia and Europe, we learn about Vladimir Putin’s rise to power through the KGB to mayor of St. Petersburg and eventually as head of the Russian state. We discover the history of how Putin used classic Cold War KGB tactics by weaponizing civil society, culture, ideology, and Russia’s criminal element against the nascent Russian democracy by cultivating and using ties to NGOs, thinktanks, extremist political groups, the Russian orthodox church, industrial and energy policy, and the Russian Mafia. We also see how the Kremlin then exported this political extortion, intimidation, and monetary corruption first to its Eastern European neighbors, then their western partners in the European Union, and how it has now landed on America’s shores.