What Truth Hounds does

Truth Hounds is a Kyiv-based non-profit NGO founded in 2014 that documents and investigates international crimes and serious human rights violations committed during armed conflicts, with operational focus on Ukraine and historically across Eastern Europe, the Caucasus, and Central Asia. Its core technology stack consists of two proprietary systems: the I-DOC evidence analysis database (adopted in 2018), which structures eyewitness testimonies, footage, medical reports, and crime-scene schemas around ICC-style investigation logic linking victims, witnesses, and suspected perpetrators; and the Monitoring Database, which since February 2022 has been archiving open-source material — YouTube videos, Telegram posts, satellite imagery, and media publications — for verification and corroboration. Field documentation, including witness interviews and crime scene surveys, is conducted under a published Code of Ethics and complements OSINT-driven investigations using satellite imagery and Russian Armed Forces personnel data to identify perpetrators.

The organization does not charge for its services. It operates on institutional donor funding from foreign governmental agencies (USAID, US State Department DRL, Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs), foundations (Norwegian Helsinki Committee, Sigrid Rausing Trust, International Renaissance Foundation, National Endowment for Democracy, Freedom House), and smaller contributors. Its 'customers' in the functional sense are Ukrainian law enforcement agencies, prosecutors, and judges — for whom Truth Hounds conducts field missions and builds case files — along with international justice actors including the International Criminal Court (nine submissions) and foreign prosecutors in at least five jurisdictions where extraterritorial proceedings have been opened. The organization also delivers training programs to judicial and human rights actors, mentors the 'Ukraine. 5 am' coalition on I-DOC usage, and partners with Trial International, IPHR, Human Rights Watch, Civitas Maxima, and the Clooney Foundation for Justice on case building and universal jurisdiction work.

Name

Truth Hounds

Legal name

Truth Hounds

Website

https://truth-hounds.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Truth Hounds is a Kyiv-based non-profit NGO founded in 2014 that documents and investigates war crimes and human rights violations in armed conflicts, providing evidence, I-DOC database access, and training to Ukrainian and international justice actors including the ICC.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Human Rights Documentation Services

NAICS

Investigation and Personal Background Check Services (561611), Investigation, Guard, and Armored Car Services (56161)

SIC

Services-Detective, Guard & Armored Car Services (7381)

akta.pro primary industry

Litigation Support & Civil Investigations (Witness/Asset/Skip Tracing) (BPAKAEAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Digital Forensics & Evidence Collection (Endpoint, Mobile, Cloud) (BPAKAHAC), Risk Intelligence, Threat Monitoring & Crisis Response (Harmful trends, coordinated abuse) (BPAAALAN)

Keywords

• War crimes documentation
• International crime investigation
• Human rights monitoring
• Evidence collection services
• Humanitarian law training

Headquarters

HQ city

Ukraine

HQ country

Ukraine

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Institutional Donor Funding: Truth Hounds is a non-profit NGO that attracts funds from different donors including foreign governmental organizations, foundations, and international institutions. Major donors include USAID, US State Department Bureau of Democracy Human Rights and Labor, Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs, Norwegian Helsinki Committee, Sigrid Rausing Trust, International Renaissance Foundation, National Endowment for Democracy, and Freedom House.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Truth Hounds is a non-profit NGO that documents and investigates international crimes and serious human rights violations during armed conflicts. It operates field missions to collect witness testimonies and crime scene evidence, conducts Open Source Intelligence (OSINT) investigations using satellite imagery and media analysis, and runs two proprietary databases (I-DOC evidence analysis database and a Monitoring Database for open-source incident tracking). Outputs are provided to Ukrainian law enforcement, prosecutors, judges, and international justice bodies to support criminal proceedings and accountability.

Product overview

Truth Hounds is a non-profit NGO that documents and investigates international crimes and human rights violations in armed conflicts. The organization operates a unified platform consisting of the I-DOC evidence analysis database and a Monitoring Database for open-source incident tracking. These core systems are supplemented by field documentation services, OSINT investigations using satellite imagery and media analysis, and professional training programs for law enforcement and justice actors. The organization produces analytical reports, submissions to international bodies, and legal analytics to support accountability efforts.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• I-DOC Database Evidence analysis database storing verified information on war crimes incidents, victims, witnesses, and suspected perpetrators; serves as an analytical tool to link events with persons involved and build criminal cases under international criminal law. Used by authorized Ukrainian and international justice actors.
• Monitoring Database Daily open-source monitoring and registration system for incidents that could constitute war crimes; archives YouTube videos, Telegram posts, satellite imagery, media publications, and other footage for verification and corroboration with other sources.
• Field Documentation Services On-the-ground evidence collection during field missions in war zones, including witness interviews, crime scene documentation, and testimony recording. Conducted using a standardized Code of Ethics for documenters.
• OSINT Investigations Open Source Intelligence investigations using satellite imagery, media publications, and publicly available information (including personnel lists of Russian Armed Forces units) to identify and track specific individuals believed responsible for war crimes.
• Training Programs Workshops, lectures, and study guides for prosecutors, investigators, judges, and human rights actors covering international humanitarian law, war crimes documentation methods, and international crime investigations.

Quantifiable outcome

• 55+ potential war crimes investigated
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• International Partnership for Human Rights (IPHR)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-term cooperation in the framework of the Civic Solidarity Platform. Joint field missions to investigate war crimes, interviewing witnesses, gathering evidence, and examining crime scenes. IPHR field mission teams work with Truth Hounds for documentation.
• Trial InternationalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerComprehensive cooperation in war crimes documentation at the locations of their commission, case building, and preparation of submissions to foreign jurisdiction justice bodies.
• Clooney Foundation for JusticecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint expert capacity for collecting evidence of war crimes, supporting official investigation in Ukraine, and forming cases for universal jurisdiction proceedings. Collaborated on evidence submission to German prosecutors.
• Human Rights WatchcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerParticipation in projects on reconstruction of events containing evidence of multiple war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide in Ukraine. Joint reports including on Mariupol destruction.
• Civitas MaximacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCooperation on forming cases for universal jurisdiction proceedings. Joint work on international crimes documentation.
• Coalition 'Ukraine. 5 am'coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniting Ukrainian NGOs for effective war crimes documentation and international advocacy. Truth Hounds conducts training on documentation and mentors joint database I-DOC usage within the coalition.
• Global Initiative T4P (Tribunal for Putin)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCooperation on holding perpetrators of war crimes and crime of aggression accountable. Joint advocacy and documentation efforts.
• OMCT (World Organisation Against Torture)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCooperation aimed at countering torture and protecting those affected by torture. Joint work on documenting torture in conflict zones.
• Norwegian Helsinki CommitteecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerComprehensive cooperation on war crimes documentation and international advocacy. Joint monitoring and reporting efforts.
• eyeWitness to AtrocitiescoreTechnology or IntegrationCooperation on spreading the use of modern technologies in documenting war crimes. Integration of verification and documentation tools.
• Ukraine War ArchiveminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCooperation on archiving materials related to the war in Ukraine for preservation of memory and everyday experiences of citizens, as well as their use for judicial purposes.
• SITU ResearchcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint research on destruction of Mariupol, combining Truth Hounds documentation with SITU Research's analytical and visualization capabilities.
• CivilM+minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUniting civil society representatives from different countries to restore Donetsk and Luhansk regions as peaceful, integrated and developed regions within democratic Ukraine.
• Kyiv-Mohyla AcademyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDialogue project to discuss transitional justice with countries of the Global Majority. Joint academic and advocacy efforts.
• FIDH (International Federation for Human Rights)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint reporting on Russia's 'Predatory Recruitment' presented at the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights session in The Gambia.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights12 records

Emerging players

• Syrian Archive: Specializes in preserving and verifying digital open-source evidence from the Syrian conflict for use in justice mechanisms; smaller scope than Truth Hounds but directly comparable technology and methodology in evidence archival.

Direct peers

• Bellingcat: Amsterdam-headquartered OSINT investigative outlet that has extensively covered Russia-Ukraine war crimes using open-source techniques, satellite imagery, and personnel identification — closely comparable methodology and audience (journalists, prosecutors, human rights bodies).
• International Partnership for Human Rights (IPHR): Brussels-based NGO working on human rights documentation in Eastern Europe, the Caucasus, and Central Asia; long-term Truth Hounds partner conducting joint field missions, comparable methodology and target geography.
• Commission for International Justice and Accountability (CIJA): Specializes in criminal evidence collection for international atrocity prosecutions, including Syria and Ukraine cases; operates a structured evidence database similar to I-DOC and works directly with national and international prosecutors.
• Syria Justice and Accountability Centre: Documents war crimes and serious violations in the Syrian conflict using witness testimony, OSINT, and field research, supplying evidence to international justice mechanisms — parallel mandate and methodology in a different conflict theater.
• eyeWitness to Atrocities: Provides technology (app and metadata-tagged capture) for documenting international crimes in a court-admissible format; Truth Hounds is a documented partner, and the missions — atrocity documentation for prosecution — are directly aligned.
• Trial International: Geneva-based NGO focused on universal jurisdiction cases and war crimes documentation; Truth Hounds' core cooperation partner on building submissions for foreign jurisdiction justice bodies, sharing mandate and target customers.
• Mnemonic: Berlin-based NGO that preserves and verifies open-source digital evidence of human rights violations and conflicts, including Ukraine; comparable technology-led approach to evidence archiving, OSINT verification, and support for justice actors.

Broad incumbents

• Clooney Foundation for Justice: Foundation supporting accountability work through the TrialWatch initiative and Albie Awards; awarded Truth Hounds the 2023 Albie and collaborated on evidence submission to German prosecutors — broader justice mission with some overlapping operational work.
• Human Rights Watch: Large, established international human rights organization conducting investigations, reporting, and advocacy on war crimes globally; overlaps with Truth Hounds on accountability work but operates at much broader portfolio scale.

Market position

Strengths1 record

Weaknesses1 record

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Truth_Hounds
• Facebookfacebook.com/truthhounds
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/truth-hounds
• Instagraminstagram.com/truth_hounds

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Truth Hounds