Statement of Ethical Intent

OFU's ethics statement guides the ethical practices of the organization and requires all members of OFU to continually foster an ethos in their work.

A large part of our work is within the field of core international crimes investigations and open source intelligence (OSINT) means that OFU is capable of drawing attention to and providing evidence of the crimes committed by the Russian War of Aggression in Ukraine. We recognize that within this space we hold a responsibility to ensure that we do not cause or attribute further harm in our pursuit of our work.

As such we have implemented ethical safeguards within our investigative processes. We seek to ensure that both the victims of crimes and those working within OFU are granted dignity, respect, and do not have their safety or well-being threatened as a result of the work at OFU.

Accountability

OFUs purpose is to provide objectively documented information or potential evidence, presented in its entirety and in the context in which it both occurred and how it was documented provided this can be done so without causing harm. Our investigators aim to report their findings objectively, and while minimizing their own bias to ensure the value of OFUs work. During the process of any research OFU personnel will always keep in mind that their methodology may be questioned. As such OFU personnel are expected to ensure that their work and methods are documented as consistently and thoroughly as possible and designed with security and safety in mind.

Ethical Delivery

Our investigators, analysts and researchers will always consider the potential impacts of publication for at-risk groups and other vulnerable populations. As such, OFU will sometimes need to balance the risks of public publication vs public interest. This process must be documented to ensure accountability within OFU, and in cases where the risk is deemed too high for public publication, private disclosure to appropriate entities will be pursued. The publishing of any public document must be done in such a way that ensures a reasonable level of privacy and respect for the victims of the crimes being recorded.

On the other hand, the International Crimes Investigations Group (ICIG) upholds a rigorous commitment to the proper collection of evidence and maintaining the integrity of the chain of custody. As such, publications by the ICIG serve purely informational purposes, underpinning the principle that the substance of investigations is conducted with confidentiality and is communicated directly to the appropriate legal authorities

Security Awareness & Competency

All OFU personnel are fully informed to the risks that their work and membership with OFU poses, even if the risks are deemed unlikely. This informed consent is paired with the OFU members being provided with adequate INFOSEC (Information Security) and PERSEC (Personnel Security) training and best practices to create a minimum standard for the members safety. Doing so to ensure that the work conducted by OFU personnel is conducted safely and professionally.

Organizational Transparency

As a part of OFU’s continual efforts on transparency within its investigations, it is paramount that all OFU personnel understand their roles and responsibilities within the organization to ensure a clear understanding of operations. During the onboarding process of new members, this organizational chart will be explained in detail to allow new personnel to become acclimated with their niche within the organization. After the onboarding process all members of OFU have the opportunity to attend our regular General Assembly held every 1.5 months which allows for transparency and feedback between the leadership of OFU and its members.