Emerging Intelligence Paradigms in the Russia–Ukraine War:CROWDINT, CITINT, and the Digital Battlespace

This article investigates the emergence of new intelligence disciplines catalysed by the war in Ukraine, revealing the obsolescence of legacy models in technologically saturated conflict environments. It examines the operational integration of crowdsourced intelligence (CROWDINT), citizen intelligence (CITINT), and AI-enabled analytical tools, which together enable real-time situational awareness and decentralised decision-making. The analysis highlights the increasingly critical role of commercial providers offering GEOINT, CYBINT, and digital HUMINT services, and how these sources are leveraged by both state and non-state actors. Russia’s cognitive warfare strategies—targeting public perception and strategic ambiguity—are juxtaposed with Ukraine’s use of AI-supported verification, resilient digital ecosystems, and participatory intelligence networks. Drawing on these dynamics, the article contends that the conflict marks a paradigmatic shift in intelligence generation, requiring NATO and allied structures to reorient their doctrinal frameworks, invest in emerging capabilities, and institutionalise digital-era intelligence practices to address the complexity of modern warfare.