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Interior Design for Research Facilities  

by Grace Paul and Dan Watch Excerpted from Building Type Basics for Research Laboratories, Second Edition

• Introduction

Within This Page

Additional resources.

Today's leading-edge research facilities speak of the importance and excitement of the research work. The design of a research center can significantly impact productivity , as well as the recruitment, morale and retention of researchers and staff. The laboratories are where researchers concentrate their time, and the environment speaks volumes about the perceived value of the work and the people who do it.

Beyond being highly functional in service of the research, the most successful facilities are welcoming, inspiring, educational, easy to navigate, flexible, efficient, technology-friendly, comfortable, quiet and durable. They also promote collaboration and excellence in small and large ways.

The look and feel of the building sets the tone. The design aesthetic should flow continuously from the exterior of the building to the interior, including the reception area and lobby , lounges and break rooms, laboratories , corridors, elevators and stairs, lab offices and office support spaces. Office support spaces typically include copy, file and storage rooms. Break rooms may be in the office area or between the offices and labs.

Reception and Lobby

The reception/lobby area of a research facility presents a powerful first impression about an organization's culture. Beyond simply serving as an entrance and exit, it should welcome employees, visitors and service staff. In its finest form, the lobby is the heart of the building if the surrounding paths, rooms and activities around the atrium are very busy - a natural gathering place for meeting and spontaneous conversations.

A central atrium , which makes the building open and friendly, is one successful design option. A showpiece for the facility, an atrium serves as an inviting entry, a main circulation hub and an ideal space for small or large gatherings and special events. Conference rooms, offices, research labs and corridors on various levels are typically adjacent to and in view of the atrium, allowing people to be seen from multiple floors. Such visibility between those in the atrium and surrounding spaces encourages chance meetings and an exchange of ideas.

The main entrance of a laboratory building warrants high priority, both in appearance and durability. The materials in the lobby should reflect the transition from the exterior of the building to the smaller-scale interior spaces. Floor and ceiling patterns should be proportional to the scale of the space: large, open spaces such as atriums lend themselves to large-scale design features; smaller-scale spaces are better suited to more restrained design elements. Because public spaces of a building endure considerable traffic, materials should be durable. Also consider the maintenance required to keep the space looking fresh, as some operations will have a limited staff and budget to dedicate to arduous upkeep or periodic repairs.

At Winona (Minn.) State University, the two-story atrium in the Science Laboratory Center incorporates a stairway as well as a bridge for movement from one side of the building to the other. Multiple materials and colors add visual interest, and the artwork doubles as a teaching and communication tool.

Main Street at Genencor is vibrant with various colors, forms and materials.

Incorporating functional elements, such as a stairwell, into an atrium or reception area provides opportunities for interaction among people who might not otherwise cross paths regularly. Ideally, such a prominent stairway would be a highly detailed and well-finished architectural feature that enhances the entire lobby.

A large atrium might feature lounge seating at balcony areas, providing alternative work areas for individuals or small groups. These areas may be informal, with comfortable seating, tack boards, display areas and power/voice/data ports to accommodate laptops and other devices.

The Stowers Research Center provides a comfortable space to meet with guest and presents a first-class image of the campus.

Lighting in public spaces deserves special attention. In a spacious atrium, large-scale decorative fixtures define the scale of the space and make an important design statement. When planning lighting, remember that maintenance staff must easily access light fixtures. Also, consider the views from adjacent areas of the building, and even other buildings. Not doing so often results in bare lamps being visible from locations above the atrium. Beyond its impact on interior space, light serves as a nighttime lantern for the building exterior.

Conference Rooms

Conference rooms provide critical support space for a building. Whether formal (enclosed) or informal, conferencing areas provide building occupants with valuable communication and collaboration tools. These rooms should incorporate appropriate technology, sound controls to maintain privacy, multiple levels of lighting, flexible furniture for multiple configurations, and views to the building exterior to accommodate long meetings.

Formal and informal conferencing areas have equally important but unique functions. Enclosed conference rooms help focus attention, while informal meeting areas sprinkled throughout the building hint that the opportunity to collaborate is never far away.

Sound control for enclosed conference areas allow presenters and other participants to interact without fear of disrupting those in adjacent spaces. Various construction methods aid in sound control, the most straightforward being to extend walls to the underside of the slab and include sound batts. Increasing the size of studs and the number of gypsum wallboard layers also factors significantly in sound control, as do sound-absorbent soft materials such as floor carpeting, lay-in acoustical ceiling tiles and wall-mounted acoustic panels.

A successfully designed conference room also features varied light levels and task-specific lighting.

The technology provided in a conference room is critical. In times past, a ceiling-mounted projector and projection screen would have sufficed. Today, however, designers must consider a myriad of equipment, including LED projectors, projection screens, LED/plasma screens, teleconferencing systems, networked computers, whiteboards, tack boards, sound-masking, ceiling-mounted speakers, power/data connections to furniture, conference-call modules and preset lighting configurations. For complex conference rooms, carefully consider how all of these elements may work together.

A room may have general ambient lighting, wall-washers at the perimeter to light whiteboards and tack boards, dimming downlights for low-light presentations and specialty lighting for video conferencing. For multimedia presentations, lighting can be controlled by a single panel with function-specific settings, providing a user-friendly interface for a wide variety of presentation styles and needs.

Conference room furniture should accommodate the anticipated presentations. Attendees may be in an auditorium-like setting, a classroom setting, a conference table setting, in small teams or any number of scenarios. Folding tables and stacking chairs are convenient as they may be easily removed or reconfigured. In that case, provide ample storage space nearby.

Natural daylight provides welcome visual relief during long meetings. In spaces with exterior day lighting, light control must be designed into the space. With dual roller shades, one shade reduces direct daylight and glare, while a second shade, for presentations, blacks out all daylight. When blackout shades are used, the system must include side channels to prevent light from leaking in.

In larger conference rooms, consider food service, as long meetings typically include refreshments. The integration of a pass-through window with access on each side or a separate breakout area allows minimal disruption, which is ideal.

Lounges and Break Rooms

Lounges and break rooms are important common amenities. Planners must decide early on whether to have a lounge/break room on each floor or a single central amenity for the entire building. Consider the culture of the researchers and the design of the facility as a whole. Lounges/break rooms provide relief from work and are intended to act as anchors within individual floors. When positioned at key locations that allow for cross-traffic from multiple departments, they foster interaction.

Provisions should be made for local copying, printing, office supplies and mailboxes, along with amenities such as coffeemakers, microwaves and floor-standing water filters or dispensers. Food or beverage vending machines are provided in most facilities. Like break rooms, vending machines may be centralized or decentralized. Because machines add considerable heat to a smaller enclosed space, they should be properly ventilated.

Break-area design should include a convenient yet unobtrusive area for trash and recycling bins. Ideally the bins should be concealed, yet logically placed so their location and use is clear.

Merck Rosetta handicap ramp is colorfully designed with added educational information to make the walk enjoyable and memorable.

The engineering services are painted and exposed to provide the image desired by the client and to provide easy access for maintenance.

Corridors serve multiple functions, and thus command attention on many levels during planning. They define a facility's layout; serve as hallways with opportunities for displays and interaction; and house ducts, piping and wires for the mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems in ceilings. In the following paragraphs, we examine important elements of corridor ceiling systems, hallways, doors, windows, flooring, finishes, seating and displays, as well as office and service corridors.

Corridor Ceiling Systems

The research corridor is uniquely designed to feel welcoming. Interior glass provides views into the labs, and the ceilings, windows and floor patterns are thoughtfully coordinated.

Ceiling plane options have expanded beyond a lay-in or exposed ceiling. Choices now also include metal or wood panels (both available with perforated faces for acoustics) and any option combined with gypsum wallboard. Access should be easy so that routine maintenance does not disturb laboratory activities. To determine which type of ceiling system is appropriate, ask the following questions:

• What is the desired look of the corridor?
• What type of ceiling lighting is desired?
• What are the maintenance requirements of the ceiling?
• How often will the ceiling need to be accessed?
• Will there be significant height restrictions due to intensive ductwork?

Laboratory corridors are often quite long due to the modular layout of labs. Creating a ceiling system with some design complexity involving different types of materials will visually break down corridor lengths. Lighting can also de-emphasize the length. Varied lighting levels can assist in wayfinding by providing more light at major intersections or lab entrances and lower light where ambient light suffices. Corridor light selection can also influence which ceiling system to select. Light fixtures designed to bounce light off ceilings should be paired with a monolithic surface for even light distribution. To help an exposed ceiling choose fixtures that direct light away from the ceiling.

The amount of ceiling access required is determined in part by the layout of the HVAC ducts, piping and wiring. Some layouts have major access points above a main corridor, while others have access points above lab ceilings. If access points are above a main corridor, a flexible ceiling is best. The ceiling may still be composed of various materials, but the design should take into account how each material accommodates access.

Some ceiling systems allow for frequent access. Exposed structures are ideal for a heavily accessed HVAC system and when ceiling heights are limited. But it is difficult to control the installation of the ceiling elements for a tidy end product. If mechanical systems are exposed, acoustical liners should be used to minimize noise from air flowing through ductwork, and the pipes should be painted. With a sufficient number of air changes flowing through a space, little or no dust is likely to collect on the pipes.

More Than a Hallway

Corridors offer opportunities for people to see each other and exchange ideas. The most successful lab corridors have interior windows, provide places to sit, are well lit, include image-enhancing displays, and are finished in a variety of colors, patterns and materials.

Some corridors double as image-enhancing public tour routes, allowing guests to safely view labs without interrupting activities. Such routes are generally along the outside wall of the first floor, with views to some interior labs and the exterior campus, or at one end of the building on all floors. These routes often feature well-lit, educational displays about the organization or the type of research being conducted. In corridors that are less public, marker and tack boards can provide workers with another way to share information.

Door Details

Corridor doors should be a strong design element if a rhythm that integrate floor, wall and ceiling patterning is created during lab planning and schematic design. Lab doors, with a glazing inset where appropriate, should be recessed to prevent them from swinging into the path of a passerby, and the inevitable lab signage should be treated as a design element within the recess. Tack boards indicating location can serve as temporary or permanent signage.

The durability of lab doors is important because carts and equipment cause damage over time. One solution is to surface-apply stainless steel plates to the lower half of the door. Some newer door systems have an integral stainless steel-edge trim at the jamb as well as integrated, rather than applied, stainless steel plates on both sides of the bottom half of the door. Although they cost more, doors with the integral protection save money over time because those with applied protection are replaced more frequently.

Corner guards and guardrails are important in laboratory corridors because carts and equipment can damage wall edges and surfaces. Materials for corner guards and guardrails range from acrylic and plastic-molded to aluminum and stainless steel. The appropriate material is determined by the amount of abuse anticipated, the budget constraints and the design aesthetic.

When a guardrail does not protect a corridor, cementitious wallboard or high-impact wall panels may be applied to the wall from the base to 36-inches to 42–inches high. Manufactured in standard sheet sizes, these products are surface-applied and can be installed in a modular fashion to create an attractive design element. Another option is high impact-resistant gypsum wallboard, which can be installed in conjunction with standard (and less expensive) gypsum wallboard for a seamless installation.

Well-Placed Windows

When possible, support labs should include windows looking into the large open labs and other adjacent spaces.

It is important that corridor windows allow natural daylight to flow deeply into the interior of the building. And no matter how windows are patterned along the corridor, they should correspond with circulation zones inside the labs. The heights and locations of windows should also coordinate with lab equipment. Lab benches with overhead shelving will conflict with lower windows. Thus, such shelving - whether it is placed initially or at a later date (which is often the case due to the flexibility of labs) - must be considered when placing interior windows. Clerestory windows are usually appropriate about 7 feet above equipment, as long as there are no overhead connections between the ceiling and the equipment.

Corridor Flooring and Finishes

Corridor flooring and finishes are typically the same in adjacent labs, but when they are different and there are variations in thicknesses of flooring between the corridors and labs, a transition is needed to minimize the impact of carts moving between the spaces. Almost any commercial wall finish may be used in corridors as long as repairs can easily be made, as walls are frequently damaged.

Corridor Seating and Displays

Seating areas, to accommodate conversation outside of labs, may be created adjacent to or at the end of a corridor. In most academic buildings, seating along the corridor provides a place for students to wait between classes. Thoughtful placement of pin-up strips/tack boards, whiteboards and display cabinets can add to the dynamic nature of corridors.

Comfortable spaces and seating outside the laboratory and office.

Office and Service Corridors

Like hallways, well-designed office corridors encourage communication, whereas interaction is lowered when departments do not share integrated space. Connectivity is important. Studies have shown that fewer than 5 percent of people will meaningfully communicate with each other once a week when their offices are more than 100 feet apart and segregated.

Service corridors typically house the lab engineering services. If the corridor is at least 10 feet wide, the opposing walls may store supplies, such as gas cylinders and even noisy equipment that otherwise might be in labs. Because service corridor equipment is noisy, generates heat and is unattractive, service corridors should not be near the main entry into the labs.

Elevator and Stairs

Elevators and stairs, along with main corridors, make up the public circulation system in a building, and as such, they should be highly visible and pleasant to use. Passenger elevators should be situated along main corridors for easy wayfinding. Most laboratory buildings need at least one passenger elevator (near the main entrance/reception area) and one freight elevator. It is a good idea to place an architectural stair near the passenger elevator in case it malfunctions and also to encourage the use of stairs. Many institutions now actually require that buildings have one set of centrally located fire stairs with upgraded materials to promote a healthier workforce through the use of the stairs. The freight elevator may either be adjacent to the passenger elevator(s) for cost and efficiency or, more typically, away from pedestrian traffic, such as near the loading dock. The latter can increase building security by tightly controlling building access. The freight elevator usually is controlled by a security access card and used only for transporting materials, supplies or equipment.

In the atrium of Florida Atlantic University's new research facility, the main stairs are near the elevator to encourage their use. The stairs also serve as a design feature and are highly visible to facilitate communication.

This fire stair, which doubles as an architectural stair, has a fire shutter on the first floor; glazing is on the remaining floors.

Fire stairs must be a set distance from each other, usually less than 300 feet if the building is fully equipped with sprinklers. The stairs should be highly visible for wayfinding and security, and should be located along the outside wall to allow for exterior windows and views. The lantern effect that the exterior glass creates makes for a safer building, especially at night, because people can see one another. Fire stairs should be wider than the minimum standards required by the building codes, allowing two people to comfortably use the stairs at the same time.

A utilitarian fire stair is often transformed into a stunning design feature through the use of wood, metal and tile upgrades; a window seat; natural daylight; and views to the exterior. If the stair also includes interior windows, which require fire shutters, it will be visible and inviting from the main corridor as well. Although fire shutters, which automatically drop from the ceiling to cover the window glass in case of fire, are an additional expense, they allow a fire stair to become a highly successful design element.

The flooring on a well-trodden stairwell must be extremely durable. A modest upgrade to a utilitarian stair may include rubber or treated concrete at the treads and/or risers. For better durability, and if a soft surface is desired, carpet is typical. Although a wool carpet is a significantly higher first expense than nylon carpet, it holds up better and lasts longer. Hard monolithic finishes, such as terrazzo and stone slabs, are ideal as they require very little maintenance over a long life span. Stair railings protect the wall, so wall finish durability is not a great concern. An upgraded stair often features special light fixtures, but they must be selected carefully to avoid a direct view of the lamp from above or below.

Research Labs

The quality and image of the research lab are of utmost importance to the end users. Key considerations are use of materials, type of casework, color scheme, natural lighting, interior glazing, light fixtures, equipment space and efficiency.

Casework must accommodate the specific needs of the current research team yet provide flexibility for future use. Determining the initial amount of casework, and the fixed-to-mobile ratio, is important. Some casework should allow for vertical adjustment. To ensure that money is well spent, the researchers should be given an opportunity to review the layout and specific design of each type of casework. As discussed in Chapter 6, mobile casework is popular in many labs today, reducing the need for fixed casework. A practical layout places modular casework in the center of the lab and fixed casework at the perimeter, allowing for maximum flexibility at the center while reserving the outside for utilities, which are unlikely to change.

The choice of casework (metal, wood or plastic) and the color of casework finishes have a significant impact on the quality of the design.

Color, both in floor patterns and along the wall, is an inexpensive design element that can dramatically impact the visual image of each lab as well as the entire building. Floor patterning should take into account three zones: casework, circulation and equipment. The patterning should be modular, working off the lab bench modules. Ideally, the pattern should help define these zones while being visually flexible enough to look appealing in future lab reconfigurations. And, because any clear wall space without windows may eventually be covered with equipment, flexibility is needed in wall patterning as well.

Lab colors and patterns should complement the design and finish of the building as a whole. Beyond simply being a matter of taste, color may affect how a person perceives his or her work.

All colors reflect onto the surrounding area, especially bright or highly intense colors. If an environment requires sensitivity to light or color accuracy, a neutral pallet may be best. Furthermore, high-contrast colors may cause eyestrain. Working with light material on a dark surface, for example, requires a person's eyes to constantly adjust, causing the eyes to tire over long periods of intensive work.

At Florida Atlantic University, the exterior windows are 7 feet above the floor, allowing storage along that wall.

Space for equipment should be coordinated with the placement of casework and with the design of the lab as a whole. Placing equipment along one wall or in separate rooms allows labs to be more open. And remember to place tall equipment with care as it may block views. It is critical to create efficient bench space, casework and storage space in each lab. The key purpose of lab modules is efficiency; they create optimum space for research and circulation. State-of-the-art labs take advantage of the volume of space. Shelving and cabinets above benches must be fully coordinated to maximize storage space. In locating storage high above benches, take sprinkler requirements into account. Also, be aware that, in lieu of windows, many researchers would rather have additional wall space for equipment and storage to use the full volume of space in their labs.

The color and finish of casework, as well as the choice of material (metal, wood, plastic, or a combination of wood and metal), is an important part of the visual setting. The casework and countertop should complement the walls, floor and ceiling. Chemical-resistant tops and stainless steel counters can present crisp images that are visually pleasing.

The integration of functional yet attractive lab accessories, such as tack boards and whiteboards, can support teamwork. As individual research methodology gives way to the research team approach, design elements that support collaboration within the lab environment become more important.

Whenever possible, allowing natural daylight into the labs improves the image and quality of each space. If there are panoramic views to the exterior, designers should take full advantage of them by locating appropriate labs and offices along the outside walls. The use of sloping lay-in ceilings may dramatically increase the distribution of natural daylight and the quality of the work environment. Interior windows allow people to see each other, and the light filtered through the building creates a more pleasant work environment. The design and location of light fixtures may add to the overall quality of the space so long as glare is controlled, the brightness-contrast ratios are high and color rendition is accurate.

As with corridors, most labs have either a lay-in or exposed ceiling system. A challenge arises when trying to allow for flexibility for future reconfigurations while integrating into the ceiling system services such as lighting, overhead service carriers and chilled water beams. A lab built on a series of modules such as a column grid, casework-to-circulation/equipment or an overhead services system should have the ceiling systems based on the same modules. Where the ceiling modules occur in a lay-in ceiling, a change in the ceiling material may be helpful in accommodating future reconfiguration with minimum impact on the overall ceiling system.

Acoustical problems, mostly due to loud mechanical supply and exhaust ducts or equipment, are fairly common in labs. Hard surfaces in the room also bounce noise around. Noisy ductwork is usually the result of too much air being moved through the ducts or the lack of sound attenuators. If the equipment is loud, consider locating it in a separate room.

Researchers spend about half of their time in the lab and half in their offices, which can become cluttered quickly. Designing a visually successful office involves addressing several elements, including the quality and quantity of furniture; comfortable meeting space, the number of windows; the amount of shelving and other storage space; and functional requirements, such as computer work.

Private offices should have inboard orientation allow for an egalitarian distribution of the daylight and views to the exterior. By locating offices away from the window wall, generally ringing the core of the building, the heating and cooling of the overall space is more consistent. Furthermore, orienting a circulation path along the window wall encourages teaming by providing informal meeting spaces at the window.

Open office environments (cubicles) should be based on a module so they can be reconfigured easily. The lighting should be direct/indirect to reduce eyestrain and glare at computer monitors. A critical yet often overlooked element of open offices is general storage and filing space. This is a fundamental part of the programming process; if it is disregarded, the difficult choice of storage versus workspace will have to be addressed later in the project.

Interior Finishes

Floor finishes for labs are based on lab functions. To find the most appropriate, compare them for durability, chemical resistance, cost, maintenance, and aesthetics. In extremely clean or wet areas, troweled flooring is used because it does not contain adhesives, which can fail due to moisture. If bacterial growth must be prevented, use flooring that can be heat-welded into a seamless application with a cove base. Less stringent requirements allow for seamed tile flooring.

Tiles, which come in many shapes and sizes, offer the widest opportunity for design, color and patterning. As with modular planning for lab casework, tile flooring design should involve standard material sizes. Patterning should be a fractional derivative of the whole tile unit to reduce waste and labor costs. Some tiles can be heat-welded, making them an appropriate design solution when seamless flooring is required.

Maintenance may be a key factor in flooring selection. In labs where sensitive equipment is calibrated to detect particulates in the air, flooring suited to damp mopping is preferable to flooring suited to stripping and waxing. These cleaning processes create air-quality disturbances, which may cause erroneous equipment readings.

Static electricity can also affect some equipment. Some flooring materials can be grounded through their adhesive and the material itself to minimize the effects of static electricity.

Heavy equipment, especially when mobile, can wear on flooring. Materials with a higher pounds-per-square-inch rating stand up better to the long-term weight of equipment. Specific adhesives are available for some flooring to lessen the effect of rolling items and to increase the PSI.

Rapidly renewable and sustainable materials such as cork, linoleum and bamboo are now widely available and should act as a starting point for the investigation and creative application of environmentally friendly materials. Using materials such as recycled glass as an aggregate in terrazzo offers not only a unique aesthetic, but also helps create a greater demand for recycled and sustainable building materials. Wherever appropriate, sustainable materials should be considered for projects as part of a larger concentrated effort on sustainable design.

The following are advantages and disadvantages of various flooring types:

Concrete: Concrete is a very durable, relatively inexpensive floor finish and reasonably easy to clean. Disadvantages include poor chemical resistance; vulnerability to harsh chemicals; lack of comfort for standing and walking due to lack of resilience; and inconsistency in appearance over large areas. Concrete can be sealed, stained or tinted, depending on the desired aesthetic. Stained concrete is slightly more expensive than sealed concrete. Exposed concrete, whether it is sealed, stained or tinted, also costs more because the quality finish requires a higher quality concrete. Using vinyl composition tile (VCT) as a cost baseline, basic finished stained concrete will tend to be slightly less expensive than VCT.

Resilient tile (vinyl composition tile): Vinyl composition tile is cost-effective, durable, reasonably easy to clean, easy to replace, offers a wide range of colors and patterns, and is somewhat comfortable to walk on. Its disadvantages include the following: it has only fair resistance to chemicals, it has many joints where bacteria can collect, it has a low PSI, it has the highest life-cycle maintenance cost of all materials compared, and it is not an environmentally sensitive solution.

Resilient sheet vinyl: This flooring is durable, easy to clean, comfortable to walk on, may be turned up for a seamless cove base, and it prevents bacterial growth when heat-welded. Its chemical resistance is good and there are fewer joints than with tile flooring. Its chief disadvantages are high material cost (2.5 times that of resilient tile), high labor cost for extensive patterning, a low PSI and it is difficult to repair.

Solid vinyl tile: Solid vinyl tile is probably the most flexible flooring option. In addition to a wide range of colors, sizes and patterns available, it can be grounded, has a high PSI, has good chemical resistance, can be heat-welded with a cove base and only needs a damp mop for cleaning. The main disadvantages are that vinyl is not an environmentally sustainable material and the cost is approximately 2.5 times higher than the baseline cost of VCT.

Rubber: The advantages and disadvantages of rubber are similar to solid vinyl tile. A key difference is that, in addition to being available in tiles, it is also sold as a rolled product, which minimizes seams. Some rubber products can withstand the harsh usage usually reserved for troweled flooring.

Linoleum: Linoleum, available in sheets or tiles, is one of the best design options available. An all-natural product, it is respectful of the environment, requires little maintenance, is easily cleaned and repaired, and is time-tested in European installations. Where it excels in design options, however, it falls short in chemical resistance. With a moderate PSI and sensitivity to heavy moisture, linoleum should be reserved for applications similar to that of VCT. It is similar in cost to sheet vinyl, but the life-cycle costs are much lower because it does not require stripping and waxing.

Troweled epoxy: Troweled epoxy provides excellent resistance against chemicals and it is durable and easy to clean. Disadvantages include cost (more than four times the cost of resilient tile and 2.5 times more than sheet vinyl), limited color options, and difficulty of repair.

Carpet: Carpeting is an excellent floor finish for offices, large lecture halls, and common areas, but it is inappropriate for wet laboratories because of chemical spills and potential bacterial growth. Carpet tiles are a preferable to broadloom in areas where long-term or heavy use will require frequent carpet replacement. Carpet tiles also can create less waste, are widely available with recycled content, and may be recycled.

Ceilings either have a lay-in tile system or are open to the structure and mechanical systems. Ceiling tiles must be suited to the lab function. In open labs with a lay-in ceiling, the type of ceiling tile is not restricted. Where a cleaner environment is needed, cleanroom tiles with a scrubbable face may be required. In BSL-4 labs, a gypsum wallboard ceiling with an epoxy finish is recommended for areas that are frequently wet.

Ceiling tiles come is a variety of sizes. Of the most common sizes, 2' x 2' is generally preferred over 2' x 4' because the smaller size resists sagging and provides a smaller ceiling element.

Many labs work on a 10'8" module that is reflective of both a structural and working lab bench module. This allows for maximum flexibility in future reconfigurations. The ceiling utilities correspond to the 10'8" module; as a result, every 10 feet there are 8 inches of another material to accommodate utilities. In traditional lab design, the 8-inch-span was made of gypsum wallboard. However with a wide variety of metal ceiling tiles and panels now available, metal tiles are preferred. As changes occur, the tiles can easily be replaced, whereas gypsum wallboard must be patched, mudded, sanded and painted. Also the metal tiles can sit in the same type of ceiling grid as the other ceiling tiles, thus creating a more uniform appearance and avoiding the fussy transitions that often accompany a gypsum wallboard solution. Metal tiles are widely available in custom widths and lengths, some up to 10 feet. The longer length prevents small pieces from being cut and appears monolithic while still using a standard ceiling grid.

Lab walls are typically constructed of gypsum wallboard and are usually painted. In BSL-2 and sometimes BSL-3 labs, the paint is generally an eggshell finish. Clean areas in BLS-3 and BSL-4 labs require an epoxy finish.

For ease of maintenance, finishes for lab floors and walls are typically hard, and little can be done to mitigate noise. Insulation in walls and above the ceiling will reduce noise transmitted from one room to another. Acoustical design options for ceilings are limited because ceiling surfaces must be fully cleanable. A ceiling can be constructed of acoustical tile or perforated acoustical metal tile. If there is no lay-in ceiling and the piping and structure are exposed, acoustical baffles can be added. However, two significant problems with acoustical baffles—additional cost and a surface that can be easily contaminated—may make an exposed ceiling less desirable.

Although critical to safety, smart wayfinding also serves to create a lively, interactive research community. Far beyond signage, successful wayfinding depends on the information inherent in a building's design.

Wayfinding begins with a welcoming entrance. It should help define a building's function and orient people quickly. An atrium, or volume space, near the entry is especially beneficial for an academic research facility as well as for many private and federal institutions.

Amenities such as conference/meeting rooms, restrooms, stairs and elevators activate such volume spaces, as do mailrooms, lounges and eating establishments. Visually engaging labs overlooking the atrium can create added interest. Virtual screens that allow people to see what is happening throughout the building are also becoming popular.

The main circulation is the next key wayfinding issue to consider. A single-corridor design operates like Main Street, with everyone coming and going along the same path. A double corridor provides more direct access to laboratory spaces and offices, but tends to separate people and can be confusing. Examples of both concepts follow:

At JABSOM Phase II in Honolulu, Hawaii, a single corridor clearly leads to all program spaces to the north or south. The corridor widens to the west with informal seating, a view and an egress to the exterior. The east corridor is secure, and lab entry alcoves are recessed for safety and to provide space for equipment to swing through the doors from the corridor. An exterior view in the east corridor provides orientation and helps define an egress to the exterior space and an adjacent building.

The upper floor of Genencor International Technology Center in Palo Alto, Calif., features a very small corridor off the elevator with office suites to the east and west and open labs to the north and south.

A "racetrack" corridor is best suited for extra-deep spaces with program space in the middle. The double-corridor setup, however, can split the population and impede wayfinding. Here, a central atrium surrounded by common amenities and exterior views at the end of the corridor support good wayfinding.

NASA's Cape Canaveral, Fla., research building organizes all wayfinding around a clear entry from the west leading into an atrium overlooked by circulation areas on the upper floors. On each corridor, one wall is along the exterior for natural light and excellent views; the other wall provides access into the labs. The end of each corridor leads to fire stairs open to the exterior.

Federal Agencies

• Department of Energy (DOE), Office of Science —For examples of facilities to support instruments of science, see DOE's Brookhaven National Laboratory
• Department of Energy (DOE), Environment, Health, Safety & Security
• Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Office of Construction & Facilities Management (CFM) — VA Research Laboratory Design Guide
• Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Office of Administration and Resources Management (OARM)
• General Services Administration (GSA), Office of Chief Architect (OCA)
• National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), Facilities and Real Estate Division (FRED)
• National Institutes of Health (NIH)— Office of Research Facilities Development and Operations (ORF) developed the NIH Design Policy and Guidelines to provide standards to assist planners, architects, and engineers in designing biomedical and animal research facilities for the NIH.

Organizations/Associations

• A Design Guide for Energy-Efficient Research Laboratories —A reference that helps facility owners, managers, and designers apply energy-efficiency features in laboratories.
• Environmental Performance Criteria (EPC) —The Labs21 Environmental Performance Criteria is a rating system specifically designed for laboratory facilities. It builds on the U.S. Green Building Council's LEED® Green Building Rating System .
• Labs21 Design Process Manual —Includes a "quick reference" sustainable strategies checklist as well as links to key resources for each stage of the design process.
• Labs21 Tool Kit
• Labs21 Annual Conference presentations
• U.S. Green Building Council , LEED® Application Guide for Laboratory Facilities (LEED-AGL)—Because research facilities present a unique challenge for energy efficiency and sustainable design, the USGBC formed the LEED-AGL Committee to develop a guide that helps project teams apply LEED credits in the design and construction of laboratory facilities.

Publications

• ASHRAE 110 Method of Testing Performance of Laboratory Fume Hoods
• ASHRAE Handbook - HVAC Applications , Chapter 16 Laboratories
• ASHRAE Laboratory Design Guide
• Biosafety in Microbiological and Biomedical Laboratories , 5th Edition by U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and National Institutes of Health. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office, May 2009.
• Building Type Basics for Research Laboratories , 2nd Edition by Daniel Watch. New York: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 2002. ISBN: 978-0-471-21757-2.
• Guidelines for Planning and Design of Biomedical Research Laboratory Facilities by The American Institute of Architects, Center for Advanced Technology Facilities Design. Washington, D.C.: The American Institute of Architects, 1999.
• R&D Magazine —Provides information on a variety of topics related to laboratories. The R&D Lab of the Year award is presented annually to outstanding laboratory facilities throughout the United States.

WBDG Participating Agencies

National Institute of Building Sciences Innovative Solutions for the Built Environment 1090 Vermont Avenue, NW, Suite 700 | Washington, DC 20005-4950 | (202) 289-7800 © 2024 National Institute of Building Sciences. All rights reserved. Disclaimer

Microbiological Laboratory | Penelas Architects

AstraZeneca’s The Discovery Centre | Herzog & de Meuron

PANNAR Sufficiency Economic & Agriculture Learning Center | Vin Varavarn Architects

Ford Calumet Environmental Center | Valerio Dewalt Train

Texoversum Innovation Center | allmannwappner

The Vietnam Institute for Advanced Study in Mathematics | 1+1>2 Architects

Google Bay View | BIG + Heatherwick Studio

NanFang University Technology Park and B1 Tower Building | Saltans Architects

Learning Center At Quest | KSM Architecture

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Youngmeyer Field Station | Hutton

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• Next Page »

How do you design and build a successful research facility?

Sufficient accommodation.

Optimized layouts with defined spaces for storage, workspaces, services, meetings, casual discussions, training sessions and congregations make up for an efficient research facility that fosters an environment of growth and innovation. This happens by a thorough understanding of the space requirements of the numerous processes and activities that happen in a research laboratory. If the appropriate spaces and their adjacencies are not considered well before design and construction, it can pose a challenge to the facility at later stages. For instance, if sufficient storage is not provided, the redundant lab equipment will overflow on the workspaces, reducing their efficiency.

Adaptability & Flexibility

As a research project grows, there is a need to accommodate the increase in lab personnel, lab equipment and research departments. Sometimes the type of research in a department can change which leads to requirement of different equipment and researchers. So, design and engineering of the facility should be performed with flexibility as one of the primary design factors. Flexibility also allows the users to transform their environment as per the needs of their individual and collective activities. For instance, laboratories with movable furniture can easily be transformed into lecture halls or training centers. Multi-functional spaces are the future of efficient space designs.

Complex Requirements

Research facilities, unlike commercial real estate, brings forth many complex functional requirements that must cater to the complexities involved in the day to day lives of researchers. Right from ensuring safety and security from hazardous chemicals, to ensuring optimum indoor environment, the complex design challenges need to be resolved in the most effective manner. We’re dealing with sensitive equipment and tools, and substances that need to be climate controlled. Also researchers that need to conduct their intensive studies and create innovative solutions in an environment that offers them comfort, collaboration, and an assurance of safety.

Energy Efficiency & Management

The day to day operations happening at a research facility can lead to significant energy consumption and resource wastage. This makes them vulnerable to create a negative environmental impact. In order to make such facilities more energy efficient, several passive and active sustainable strategies can be adopted for the building’s design and engineering. Spaces can be planned in response to the site’s local conditions. Building materials and systems need to be energy efficient. Alternate renewable energy resources need to be introduced. Proper waste management systems must be employed. Building energy management systems (BEMS) can be deployed to monitor and control the energy consumption through data.

Resilience to Accidents

In places where researchers are constantly working with harmful chemicals and substances or sensitive equipment, chances of accidents are high. Improper design of these facilities can lead to an increase in such accidents. It can put precious human resources in the ways of harm and cause severe damage, all because of inefficient design and engineering of the built environment. While the researchers are taking a risk when working with hazardous substances, we must ensure their safety at all times. With proper ventilation, fire-safety, monitoring systems, and efficient circulation, users can focus on their research instead of worrying about hazards. IoT integration of services also prevents accidents.

Environment of Mutual Growth

Research facilities need to be places for collective growth of all involved researchers. Gone are the days when individual expertise and individual skills were more favored for completing a job. Today, with the rise of complexities, research organisations have realised the significance of collective efforts over individual ones. We need the research facilities to be designed with more and more spaces for casual chances encounters, interactions, team gatherings, training sessions, and flexible spaces for collective working. This leads to an empowering environment where the juniors learn from their seniors through workplace osmosis, and team members learn from each other’s knowledge.

Optimum Indoor Climate Control

The indoor environment of research laboratories is constantly affected by hazardous fumes and viral & bacterial pathogens. Being surrounded by them for a prolonged period of time can be harmful to the health of researchers. Inefficient extraction of fumes from the enclosed laboratory spaces can lead to chronic diseases. That’s why we need to focus on efficient smoke and fume extraction through the design and engineering of ventilation systems. Similarly, lab environments require specific indoor temperatures, not only for the thermal comfort of researchers, but also for requirements of certain chemicals and equipment. Building Management Systems can be beneficial to ensure optimum indoor climate control.

2 thoughts on “How do you design and build a successful research facility?”

I want to modify my lab in order to create a fantastic research facility for my company. The way you described optimum floor plans with designated areas for storage, workplaces, services, meetings, informal conversations, and training sessions is fantastic. I’ll seek out experts to assist me in designing the layout of my laboratory.

Request a quote for the design of an engineering research center for the university. Thanks

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City University of New York

Advanced science research center, science without walls, research without barriers.

This is what happens when the best minds in architecture and science converge: lab spaces are created that allow investigators to map the brain's biochemical circuitry, to experiment with matter on a molecular scale, to use light to diagnose cancer without a biopsy. And those labs are configured in a way that literally removes walls, just as it removes other impediments to collaboration and discovery. With the input of more than 50 scientists from throughout the City University of New York and the expertise of Flad Architects, the Advanced Science Research Center building is as ground-breaking as the experiments that are conducted within.

The 200,000-square-foot ASRC building is visually stunning. This achievement is matched only by its expanded capacity for research. It will allow a new wave of talented scientists to join top researchers from CUNY campuses across the city, providing a platform where divergent disciplines meet and collaborations form organically. Researchers from Nanoscience, Photonics, Structural Biology, Neuroscience, and Environmental Sciences will work side by side in the ASRC's core facilities, sharing state-of-the-art-equipment, and ultimately sharing inspiration.

With its flowing floor plans and open central stairway, the building promotes intellectual cross-pollination between labs through the vertical integration of big ideas. In this prime environment for idea generation, scientists for diverse specialties are working together to take on projects of enormous importance, from better understanding Alzheimer's disease to protecting the global water supply.

Flad Architects and Kohn Pedersen Fox (KPF) collaborated on the planning, design, documentation and construction phase services. KPF as Design Architect designed the building exterior and interior public spaces. Flad as Architect of Record managed the project, designed the labs, and completed the documentation. Jacobs Consultancy provided programming services.

Location New York, New York

Certification LEED Gold

Recognition AIA New York State Chapter, Excelsior Award Greater New York Construction User Council, Outstanding Project, Higher Education Society of American Registered Architects New York Council, Excellence in Architecture and Planning Award

Project Type Academic Health Science

Opening of the IlluminationSpace Boosts Exploration at ASRC Project News

Making Adjustments Lab Design News Publication: A Decade of Science at City University of New York

• Floor Plans

Copyright © 2008-2024 La Jolla Cove Research Center. All Rights Reserved.

University of Georgia Boyd Graduate Studies Research Center

Athens, Georgia

The first floor renovation of the University of Georgia for the College of Engineering includes flexible laboratories for computer and electrical engineering research, graduate student workspaces, offices, conference and collaboration spaces, and support spaces.

The project provides an effective and engaging research environment that encouraged collaboration and created a sense of community for students and faculty. The project emphasizes sustainable design by championing opportunities to bring more daylighting into the space and using natural materials to promote well-being. This project was designed concurrently with the renovation of Driftmier Engineering Center, and where possible, the project drivers and brand identity were kept consistent.

project scope

design services

Architecture , Interior Design , Programming + Predesign

Higher Education , Science + Technology

University of Georgia

Project Team

Mark Jensen

Dots Colley

Markus Wilms

Albert Einstein Education and Research Center

São paulo, brazil, 2022 / built.

Located in the residential district of Morumbi, São Paulo, adjacent to the main Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein, the AEERC is the latest initiative of the premier Brazilian healthcare institute Sociedade Beneficente Israelita Brasileira Albert Einstein. As the first medical school to be established by a private hospital in Brazil, it is envisioned as a landmark learning and research environment. The spacious garden atrium is the physical and symbolic centerpiece of the building. Offering opportunities for spontaneous interaction, collaboration, and discovery, as well as repose and contemplation, the garden atrium serves as the community living room, visible from almost every corner of the building. The stepped terraces connect four main levels of activity, a restaurant on the first floor, amphitheater and auditorium on the center levels, and exhibition/event space on the fourth floor. Two connected wings bookend the central atrium. The east wing of the Center contains the main teaching spaces, including education spaces for nursing, medicine, graduate programs, medical residency, and technical courses. The west wing houses medical research facilities, including laboratories, clean rooms, and clinical research resources.

Collaborators

Perkins & Will: Programming, Interior Planning, and Executive Architect Isabel Duprat: Landscape Design Architect & Landscape Installation Sub-contractor Seele GmBH: Specialty Skylight sub-contractor Thornton Tomasetti + Avila Engenharia + BRZ Experts: Structure ARUP + MHA Engenharia: MEP Thornton Tomasetti + Crescencio: Façade Atelier Ten + CA2 Consultores: Environmental Sue Minter: Horticultural Lam Partners + Studio IX: Lighting Design Roll Barresi + Claudio Novaes: Signage/Wayfinding Arcadis: Construction Management Racional Engenharia: General Contractor

Sociedade Beneficente Israelita Brasileira Albert Einstein

250,605 sq ft | 23,282 sq m

More Details

Fewer details.

Continuous walkways bridge between the teaching and research wings, punctuated by a series of intimate meeting and study spaces on each level. The upper courtyard features an exhibition space overlooking the garden.

The atrium’s vaulted glass roof structure features an innovative shading and daylighting system with a resulting visual effect that evokes the feeling of congregating under a leafy tree. The atrium environment balances three countervailing factors: providing ample daylight for the plants to thrive; regulating heat gain and glare for human comfort; and providing shading by delicately filtering bright sunlight.

Designed in collaboration with Brazilian landscape architect Isabel Duprat, the atrium garden is planted with a variety of native species. The terraced planters reinforce the curving geometry of the atrium, appearing as if carved from the earth. The layering of trees and planting creates a variety of spaces, from the social amphitheater and exhibition space to quiet intimate spaces lined with seating around a small fountain.

The program brings medical, nursing, and graduate studies, as well as medical research activities all under one roof, connected directly to the main hospital complex. The project provides 40 technology-supported classrooms, a 400-seat multipurpose auditorium, academic laboratories & simulation facilities, and state-of-the-art research facilities.

Article | For Moshe Safdie, Social Responsibility in Design Comes Naturally

Globe and mail, article | how do you design a better hospital, project update | albert einstein education and research center, a landmark learning and research environment.

Design Strategy & Research Center / THE_SYSTEM LAB

Pudong Research Center floor plan illustrating readers and walking trajectory of tag carriers. The red trajectory refers to where the tag carrier walks through. 

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Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, January 24, 2024

Nicole Wolkov, Angelica Evans, Grace Mappes, Karolina Hird, George Barros, and Frederick W. Kagan

January 24, 2024, 8:20pm ET

Click here to see ISW’s interactive map of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. This map is updated daily alongside the static maps present in this report.

Click here to see ISW’s 3D control of terrain topographic map of Ukraine. Use of a computer (not a mobile device) is strongly recommended for using this data-heavy tool.

Click here to access ISW’s archive of interactive time-lapse maps of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. These maps complement the static control-of-terrain map that ISW produces daily by showing a dynamic frontline. ISW will update this time-lapse map archive monthly.

Note: The data cut-off for this product was 1:30pm ET on January 24. ISW will cover subsequent reports in the January 25 Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment.

A Russian Il-76 military transport aircraft crashed in Belgorod Oblast on January 24.  Geolocated footage posted by various Russian sources shows the Il-76 crashing in Yablonovo, Belgorod Oblast (about 50km northeast of Belgorod City).[1] The Russian Ministry of Defense (MoD) claimed that the Il-76 was carrying 65 Ukrainian prisoners of war (POWs) and was en route to a pre-arranged POW exchange at the Kolotylivka border-crossing checkpoint between Russia and Ukraine.[2] The Russian MoD accused Ukraine of hitting the plane with two unspecified missiles, killing the 65 POWs, six Russian crew members, and three Russian military personnel.[3] Senior Russian propagandist and Editor-in-Chief of state-controlled outlet  RT  Margarita Simonyan published a list of the names of the Ukrainian POWs supposedly on the flight, but several Russian and Ukrainian sources noted that at least one of the alleged POWs had already been exchanged in a previous POW swap on January 3.[4] Ukrainian officials, including Ukrainian Human Rights Commissioner Dmytro Lubinets and the Ukrainian Coordinating Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War, immediately responded to the incident by emphasizing that Ukraine is investigating the crash and urged audiences not to draw premature conclusions about the crash based on unconfirmed reporting.[5] Ukrainian Main Military Intelligence Directorate (GUR) Spokesperson Andriy Yusov confirmed that a POW exchange was scheduled to take place on January 24 but that the exchange was no longer taking place and that GUR is investigating the circumstances of the crash.[6] GUR later stated that Ukraine “does not have reliable and comprehensive information about who exactly was on board the plane.”[7] The Ukrainian General Staff did not directly respond to the incident but emphasized that Russia has conducted 19 missile strikes against Kharkiv Oblast from Belgorod Oblast over the past week and stressed that Ukraine “will continue to take measures to destroy means of delivery” and “control the airspace” in the Kharkiv-Belgorod border area.[8] Ukrainian outlet  Ukrainska Pravda,  citing unspecified sources in the Ukrainian Armed Forces, claimed that the Il-76 was transporting S-300 air-defense missiles, which Russian forces frequently use in strikes against ground targets in Kharkiv Oblast.[9] Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated in his nightly address on January 24 that Ukraine is working to establish “all clear facts” and that GUR is looking into “the fate of all prisoners.”  ISW offers no assessment of the circumstances of the Il-76 crash at this time and cannot independently verify Russian or Ukrainian statements on the incident.

Russian information space actors are seizing on the Il-76 crash to sow domestic discontent in Ukraine and undermine Western will to continue giving military support to Ukraine.  Russian State Duma Defense Committee Chairperson Andrei Kartapolov claimed that Ukraine deliberately shot down the Il-76 knowing that it contained Ukrainian POWs and called for all POW exchanges to pause indefinitely.[10] Deputy Chairperson of the Russian Security Council Dmitry Medvedev accused Ukrainian “internal political struggles” of contributing to the crash.[11] Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, who is currently in New York for UN Security Council (UNSC) meetings, called for an urgent UNSC meeting to address the crash and accused Ukraine of terrorism.[12] Such Russian accusations are meant in part to sow discontent in Ukraine and galvanize distrust of the Ukrainian government, which is consistent with several other Russian information efforts aimed at weakening Ukraine domestically.[13] POW exchanges are a sensitive issue in both Russia and Ukraine, and rhetorical invocations of POWs predictably elicit emotional responses. Russian officials additionally made unsubstantiated claims that Ukraine struck the Il-76 with US- or German-provided missile systems, likely in an attempt to discourage Ukraine’s Western partners from providing Ukraine with critical air defense systems necessary for Ukraine’s continued defense.[14]

Russian law enforcement authorities are codifying xenophobic profiling methods suggesting that migrants are predisposed to criminal activity against the backdrop of continued conflicts between Russian citizens and naturalized migrants.  Russian outlet  RTVI  reported on January 24 that the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs (MVD) published a “criminogenic index” detailing which countries’ migrants committed the most crimes in Russia in response to a request from Russian State Duma Deputy Mikhail Matveev to determine if “immigrants from certain countries have criminal characteristics.”[15] The MVD report found that crimes committed by migrants from “neighboring countries” declined between 2013 and 2019 but have increased since 2019.[16] The MVD report also found that citizens of Uzbekistan committed 40 percent of all crimes committed by foreigners from “neighboring countries” between January 2022 and May 2023. Uzbek citizens likely account for the highest percentage of crimes because there are more migrants from Uzbekistan in Russia than migrants from other Central Asian and South Caucasus countries.[17] Matveev stated that the MVD’s report excludes migrants with naturalized Russian citizenship, implying that migrants commit more crimes than reflected in the MVD’s official findings.[18] Russian Investigative Committee Head Alexander Bastrykin similarly claimed in September 2023 that the number of serious crimes that foreign citizens committed in Russia increased by 32 percent from 2022 to 2023.[19] Russian authorities’ deliberate attempts to highlight migrant crimes and portray migrants as a danger to Russian society are likely part of an ongoing effort to appease the pro-war Russian ultranationalist community that also routinely expresses xenophobia toward migrant and diaspora communities and to coerce migrants into Russian military service by limiting work opportunities in Russia.

Sakha Republic Head Aisen Nikolaev and other Russian sources claimed that unspecified foreign actors may have incited protests in Yakutsk, Sakha Republic, after a naturalized citizen from Tajikistan allegedly murdered a Russian citizen.[20] Nikolaev suggested that foreign agents may have encouraged these protests to incite conflict and divide Russian society.[21] Nikolaev instructed Sakha Republic authorities to monitor migrants and investigate the circumstances under which the murder suspect obtained Russian citizenship.[22] Nikolaev’s response of both condemning the protests as externally conceived and maintaining a harsh stance against a naturalized Russian citizen likely reflects the wider struggle Russian ultranationalists continue to face in attempting to portray non-ethnic Russian diaspora communities as an internal threat to Russian society while the Kremlin continues to portray Russia as a harmonious multiethnic society.

The Ukrainian Main Military Intelligence Directorate (GUR) reported that Ukrainian hackers recently conducted cyberattacks on Russian intelligence and communications infrastructure.  The GUR reported on January 24 that Ukrainian hackers conducted a successful cyberattack against the Russian “Planet” Scientific Research Center of Space Hydrometeorology's Far East branch, specifically targeting the center’s database, servers, and supercomputers.[23] The GUR reported that the attack destroyed a database that received and processed satellite data and contributed to products for over 50 Russian government agencies, including the Russian Ministry of Defense (MoD), General Staff, and Ministry of Internal Affairs (MVD). The GUR noted that the database contained two petabytes (two million gigabytes) of data potentially worth over $10 million. The GUR reported that the attack also rendered the center’s supercomputers inoperable and unable to be completely restored and brought down the center’s servers and physical infrastructure. The GUR stated that the attack will leave dozens of unspecified strategic defense companies without “critically important information” for a long time. The GUR reported on January 23 that unspecified “cyber volunteers” attacked Russian internet provider Akado-telecom, which services the Russian Presidential Administration, Federal Security Service (FSB), Federal Protective Service, Moscow Oblast governing bodies, Russian state-owned bank Sberbank, and others, causing a large-scale internet failure on January 21 and 22.[24]

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg stated during the 18th Ukraine Defense Contact Group at Ramstein Air Base in Germany that recent Russian missile strikes against Ukraine underscore the need to strengthen Ukraine’s air defenses.  Stoltenberg noted on January 23 that NATO has already transferred a variety of air defense systems to Ukraine, including Patriots, IRIS-T, and NASAMS, and that NATO is supplying Ukraine with additional demining equipment, winter equipment, and fuel as part of its Comprehensive Assistance Package.[25] Ukrainian Ministry of Defense (MoD) Press and Information Department Head Illarion Pavlyuk stated that Ukrainian and Western officials discussed increasing the supply of long-range weapons to Ukraine, including adapting Western anti-aircraft missiles to Soviet-era launch platforms and expanding the production and supply of ammunition and artillery systems to Ukraine.[26] ISW previously assessed that Russian forces likely continue to experiment with new strike packages with different means of penetrating Ukrainian air defenses and to pressure Ukrainian air defense deployments following recent Ukrainian adaptations to prior Russian strike packages.[27] ISW continues to assess that Western provisions of air defense systems and missiles remain crucial in defending Ukraine‘s growing defense industrial base (DIB) against Russian strikes.[28]

Russian and Chadian officials met in Moscow on January 24, suggesting that Chad may be the Kremlin’s next target among former French colonies on the African continent.  Russian President Vladimir Putin met with Chadian junta leader Mahamat Idriss Deby to discuss counterterrorism efforts in Chad and announced an upcoming agreement expanding Russian–Chadian cooperation.[29] Russian Deputy Defense Ministers Colonel General Alexander Fomin and Colonel General Yunus-Bek Yevkurov also met with Chadian Minister of the Armed Forces, Veterans Affairs, and War Victims Dago Yacouba to discuss bilateral military and military-technical cooperation and regional security.[30] Fomin and Yevkurov previously met with Nigerien National Defense Minister Major General Saliufou Modi.[31] ISW previously reported that Russia and the Central African Republic (CAR) are in negotiations to construct a Russian military base in CAR.[32] Russia appears to be attempting to expand its involvement with and influence on authoritarian regimes in western and central Africa, particularly focusing on former French colonies in the Sahel such as Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger.

The Russian Ministry of Defense (MoD) controlled Africa Corps published photos on January 24 claiming to show Africa Corps personnel arriving in Burkina Faso. [33]  The Africa Corps claimed that 100 Russian personnel will perform executive protection and conduct counterterrorism operations in Burkina Faso and that another 200 personnel will arrive in the country in the near future.[34] ISW previously reported that the Kremlin is likely attempting to expand Russia’s influence in Africa through the Russian MoD and the MoD-controlled Africa Corps and assessed that the Kremlin is likely attempting to expand the Africa Corps’ operations in Niger, Burkina Faso, and Mali.[35] The Kremlin may also eventually set conditions to expand the Africa Corps’ operations in Chad, given January 24 Russian–Chadian government meetings.

NATO announced on January 24 that the Steadfast Defender 2024 exercises have started and will run until May 31, 2024. [36]   NATO reported that the exercises will occur in the High North, Central Europe, and Eastern Europe.[37] ISW continues to assess that Russia will attempt to misrepresent these exercises as a threat against Russia despite the exercises’ defensive nature in response to real Russian aggression against Ukraine and overt Russian threats to NATO states.[38]

Key Takeaways:

• A Russian Il-76 military transport aircraft crashed in Belgorod Oblast on January 24.
• Russian information space actors are seizing on the Il-76 crash to sow domestic discontent in Ukraine and undermine Western will to continue giving military support to Ukraine.
• Russian law enforcement authorities are codifying xenophobic profiling methods suggesting that migrants are predisposed to criminal activity against the backdrop of continued conflicts between Russian citizens and naturalized migrants.
• The Ukrainian Main Military Intelligence Directorate (GUR) reported that Ukrainian hackers recently conducted cyberattacks on Russian intelligence and communications infrastructure.
• NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg stated during the 18th Ukraine Defense Contact Group at Ramstein Air Base in Germany that recent Russian missile strikes against Ukraine underscore the need to strengthen Ukraine’s air defenses.
• Russian and Chadian officials met in Moscow on January 24, suggesting that Chad may be the Kremlin’s next target among former French colonies on the African continent.
• The Russian Ministry of Defense (MoD) controlled Africa Corps published photos on January 24 claiming to show Africa Corps personnel arriving in Burkina Faso.
• NATO announced on January 24 that the Steadfast Defender 2024 exercises have started and will run until May 31, 2024.
• Positional engagements continued throughout the theater.
• Chechen Republic Head Ramzan Kadyrov continues efforts to bolster the reputation of Chechen forces.
• Russian occupation authorities are setting conditions to coerce voter turnout in the upcoming March 2024 presidential elections.

We do not report in detail on Russian war crimes because these activities are well-covered in Western media and do not directly affect the military operations we are assessing and forecasting. We will continue to evaluate and report on the effects of these criminal activities on the Ukrainian military and the Ukrainian population and specifically on combat in Ukrainian urban areas. We utterly condemn Russian violations of the laws of armed conflict and the Geneva Conventions and crimes against humanity even though we do not describe them in these reports.

• Russian Main Effort – Eastern Ukraine (comprised of two subordinate main efforts)
• Russian Subordinate Main Effort #1 – Capture the remainder of Luhansk Oblast and push westward into eastern Kharkiv Oblast and encircle northern Donetsk Oblast
• Russian Subordinate Main Effort #2 – Capture the entirety of Donetsk Oblast
• Russian Supporting Effort – Southern Axis
• Russian Mobilization and Force Generation Efforts
• Russian Technological Adaptations
• Ukrainian Defense Industrial Base Efforts
• Activities in Russian-Occupied Areas

Russian Information Operations and Narratives

• Significant Activity in Belarus

Russian Main Effort – Eastern Ukraine

Russian Subordinate Main Effort #1 – Luhansk Oblast  (Russian objective: Capture the remainder of Luhansk Oblast and push westward into eastern Kharkiv Oblast and northern Donetsk Oblast)

Ukrainian Joint Forces Commander Lieutenant General Serhiy Nayev reported on January 24 that Russian sabotage groups attempted to cross the international border between Russia and Ukraine, likely referring to Russian claims that Russian forces captured Pletenivka, Kharkiv Oblast, less than two kilometers from the Kharkiv-Belgorod Oblast international border, on January 23.[39] A prominent Kremlin-affiliated Russian milblogger amplified claims that characterized the January 23 Russian attack on Pletenivka as a “daring raid“ after which Russian forces withdrew to their original positions.[40] ISW has not observed visual evidence supporting the claim that Russian forces captured Pletenivka and continues to assess that Russian forces may conduct small-scale, tactical-level attacks across the Belgorod-Kharkiv Oblast border to fix and divert Ukrainian forces away from the Kupyansk direction.[41]

Russian forces reportedly advanced in the Kupyansk direction on January 24, but there were no confirmed changes to the frontline in this area. Russian milbloggers claimed that Russian forces advanced to Berestove and along the P07 Svatove-Kupyansk highway toward Tabaivka (both northwest of Svatove), although ISW has not observed visual confirmation of these claims.[42] Russian and Ukrainian sources stated that positional engagements continued northeast of Kupyansk near Synkivka.[43] Elements of the 1st Guards Tank Army (Western Military District) reportedly continue to operate in the Kupyansk direction.[44]

Positional engagements continued in the Lyman direction on January 24, but there were no confirmed changes in this area. Russian and Ukrainian sources stated that positional engagements continued northwest of Kreminna near Makiivka, Yampolivka, and Terny; west of Kreminna near Torske; southwest of Kreminna in the Serebryanske forest area and Dibrova; and south of Kreminna near Hryhorivka (the Hryhorivka 15km southwest of Kreminna and not the one northwest of Bakhmut).[45]

Russian Subordinate Main Effort #2 – Donetsk Oblast  (Russian objective: Capture the entirety of Donetsk Oblast, the claimed territory of Russia’s proxies in Donbas)

Positional fighting continued near Bakhmut on January 24, but there were no confirmed changes to the frontline in this area. Russian milbloggers claimed that Russian forces advanced west of Bakhmut near Ivanivske and from Khromove, southwest of Bakhmut near Klishchiivka, although ISW has not observed visual evidence of these claims.[46] Russian and Ukrainian sources stated that positional fighting continued northeast of Bakhmut near Bilohorivka and from Vesele towards Vyiimka and Spirne; north of Bakhmut near Vasyukivka; northwest of Bakhmut near Bohdanivka; west of Bakhmut near Ivanivske; southwest of Bakhmut near Klishchiivka; and northwest of Horlivka near Shumy.[47] Elements of the Russian 102nd Motorized Rifle Regiment (150th Motorized Rifle Division, 8th Guards Combined Arms Army, Southern Military District) and the 85th Separate Motorized Rifle Brigade (2nd Luhansk People’s Republic [LNR] Army Corps) are reportedly operating near Bakhmut, and elements of the Russian 200th Separate Motorized Rifle Brigade (Northern Fleet) are reportedly operating on Bakhmut’s northern flank.[48]

Positional fighting continued near Avdiivka on January 24, but there were no confirmed changes to the frontline in this area. A prominent Russian milblogger claimed that Russian forces marginally advanced southwest of Avdiivka near Pervomaiske, although ISW has not observed visual evidence of this claim.[49] Ukrainian and Russian sources stated that positional fighting continues northwest of Avdiivka near Novobakhmutivka and Stepove; in southeastern Avdiivka near the “Tsarska Okhota” restaurant area; west of Avdiivka near Sieverne and Tonenke; and southwest of Avdiivka near Vodyane, Pervomaiske, and Nevelske.[50] Ukraine-based open-source organization Frontelligence Insight reported that Russian shelling has destroyed most of the buildings in Avdiivka‘s southeastern residential area and that Russian forces continue to shell northwest of Avdiivka near Stepove, Berdychi, Novobakhmutivka, and Novokalynove.[51] Frontelligence Insight reported that the situation on Avdiivka’s flanks is more stable, allowing Ukrainian forces to continue defending Avdiivka in the face of ongoing shell and manpower shortages.[52] Russian milbloggers claimed that the Russian “Veterany” Reconnaissance and Assault Brigade (Volunteer Assault Corps) participated in assaults in the “Tsarska Okhota” area on January 17, using underground tunnels to penetrate the area.[53]

Positional fighting continued west and southwest of Donetsk City, but there were no confirmed changes to the frontline in this area. Russian milbloggers claimed that Russian forces marginally advanced near Heorhiivka (west of Donetsk City) but ISW has not observed evidence of this claim.[54] Ukrainian and Russian sources stated that there were positional engagements west of Donetsk City near Heorhiivka and southwest of Donetsk City near Novomykhailivka.[55] Russian milbloggers claimed that Russian forces are attempting to bypass Novomykhailivka from the south to attack the Vuhledar area.[56] Elements of the Russian 5th Motorized Rifle Brigade (1st Donetsk People’s Republic [DNR] Army Corps) are reportedly operating near the Trudovska mine area near Marinka (west of Donetsk City).[57]

Russian Supporting Effort – Southern Axis  (Russian objective: Maintain frontline positions and secure rear areas against Ukrainian strikes)

Positional fighting continued in the Donetsk-Zaporizhia Oblast border area on January 24, but there were no confirmed changes to the frontline in this area. Russian and Ukrainian sources reported positional fighting south of Velyka Novosilka near Urozhaine and north of Staromayorske and southeast of Velyka Novosilka near Novodonetske and east of Zolota Nyva.[58] Limited positional fighting also continued south of Chervone (southeast of Hulyaipole).[59]

Positional fighting continued in western Zaporizhia Oblast on January 24, but there were no confirmed changes to the frontline. Positional fighting continued near Robotyne, south of Robotyne near Novoprokopivka, and east of Robotyne near Verbove.[60]

Positional fighting continued on the east (left) bank of Kherson Oblast near Krynky on January 24, but there were no confirmed changes to the front in this area.[61] The Russian “Aksai” detachment, possibly of the volunteer “Don” Cossack Brigade, is reportedly operating on the Kinburn Peninsula in occupied Kherson Oblast.[62]

Crimean-based Ukrainian partisan group “Atesh” reported on January 24 that Russian forces redeployed a Ropucha class large landing ship to Hrafska Bay in Sevastopol.[63] Atesh reported that Russian forces camouflaged the ship and will likely deploy it to the Black Sea for combat missions.

Russian Mobilization and Force Generation Efforts  (Russian objective: Expand combat power without conducting general mobilization)

Chechen Republic Head Ramzan Kadyrov continues efforts to bolster the reputation of Chechen forces. Kadyrov posted footage on January 23 reportedly showing the “Baysangur Benoyevsky” Chechen Rosgvardia battalion and the “Sheikh Mansur” battalion completing training at the Russian Spetsnaz University in Gudermes, Chechnya.[64] Kadyrov claimed that Spetsnaz instructors worked with the Chechen battalions for three months and trained them in tactical fire, machine gun operation, combat medicine, and drone operation. Kadyrov also posted footage of the “Sheikh Mansur” battalion receiving Niva SUVs from the Chechen Regional Public Fund.[65] Kadyrov’s sixteen-year-old son Adam Kadyrov, who “oversees” the “Sheikh Mansur” battalion, accepted the Niva SUVs.[66] The conduct of Chechen fighters in Ukraine has recently drawn criticism from the Russian information space, as ISW reported on January 22.[67] Kadyrov likely continues to amplify the skill, training, and equipment of Chechen formations to distract from criticism of Chechen forces and to bolster his own reputation.

Russian Technological Adaptations  (Russian objective: Introduce technological innovations to optimize systems for use in Ukraine)

Russia’s defense industrial base (DIB) continues attempting to adapt to Ukraine’s increased use of drones. Russian media reported on January 23 that Russia is completing tests of anti-drone “mini-missiles” that Russian forces will fire using modernized Pantsir-SM air defense systems to protect critical military assets against Ukrainian drone and quadcopter strikes.[68] The “mini-missiles” are reportedly much smaller than standard Pantsir missiles, allowing Russian forces to equip Pantsir-mounted combat vehicles with 48 of the smaller missiles as opposed to the typical 12 standard-sized missiles.[69]

Ukrainian Defense Industrial Efforts   (Ukrainian objective: Develop its defense industrial base to become more self-sufficient in cooperation with US, European, and international partners)

Several countries announced new military aid packages to Ukraine following the 18th Ukraine Defense Contact Group at Ramstein Air Base in Germany on January 23. Canadian Defense Minister Bill Blair announced that Canada will provide 10 Zodiac multi-purpose boats worth $20 million CAD (about $14.7 million) to Ukraine and provide instructors and aircraft to support Ukrainian soldiers training on F-16 fighter jets.[70] German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius announced that Germany will provide six multipurpose Sea King Mk41 helicopters to Ukraine.[71] The Danish Ministry of Defense (MoD) announced on January 24 that Denmark will contribute 91 million Danish kroner (about $13.3 million) to support the Ukrainian MoD and military cyber defense as part of the IT coalition for Ukraine.[72] UK Ambassador to Ukraine Martin Harris stated on January 23 that the recently announced 200 million GBP (about $254 million) of UK military assistance allocated for producing and procuring drones will go toward reconnaissance, long-range, and first-person view (FPV) drone production in Ukraine and the UK.[73]

Ukrainian Deputy Defense Minister Dmytro Klimenkov stated on January 24 that the Ukrainian MoD is implementing new weapons and equipment procurement standards in accordance with NATO standards.[74] Klimenkov also reported that Ukraine is creating supervisory councils to oversee the Ukrainian State Operator of the Rear and Defense Procurement Agency, both of which conduct weapons and equipment procurement.[75]

Activities in Russian-occupied areas  (Russian objective: Consolidate administrative control of annexed areas; forcibly integrate Ukrainian citizens into Russian sociocultural, economic, military, and governance systems)

Russian occupation authorities are setting conditions to coerce voter turnout in the upcoming March 2024 presidential elections. Zaporizhia Oblast occupation election commission chairperson Galina Katyushchenko announced on January 24 that residents of occupied Zaporizhia Oblast will be able to vote in the presidential elections with Ukrainian passports.[76] Katyushchenko’s announcement is notable given that Russian occupation authorities have recently intensified passportization efforts in occupied areas in preparation for the upcoming presidential elections.[77] Russian occupation authorities may face greater resistance to passportization efforts than anticipated and may be softening the Russian passport requirement for the election to encourage Ukrainian passport holders to vote. The Kremlin likely seeks to generate high voter turnout in occupied Ukraine in order to create a guise of widespread local legitimacy of the Russian occupation of Ukraine and likely is realizing that authorities will have to lower the barriers to voting in order to accomplish the desired voter turnout.

The European Union (EU) Foreign Policy Service published a report on Foreign Information Manipulation and Interference (FIMI) on January 23 stating that Ukraine was the most-targeted country of all information attacks in 2023.[78] The EU Foreign Policy report also noted that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is one of the most targeted individuals in 2023. EU High Representative Josep Borrell stated that rapid action is essential to preventing manipulated information from spreading and that it must be debunked before it goes viral and admonished Russia’s role in facilitating information operation attacks against Ukraine.[79]

Kremlin mouthpieces continue to attack post-Soviet states for enacting perceived anti-Russia policies. Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Spokesperson Maria Zakharova claimed that Bulgaria is trying to “rewrite history” by editing textbooks that allegedly “generate gratitude towards Russia.”[80] A Kremlin-affiliated milblogger accused a Kazakh media outlet of generating anti-Russian sentiment by discussing the Kazakh famine of 1930 to 1933 and describing the famine as a “genocide” at the behest of Western actors.[81]

A prominent, Kremlin affiliated milblogger continued to attack Armenia for rejecting the Russian narrative attempting to portray Russia as the only mediator capable of creating a lasting peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan.[82]

Significant Activity in Belarus  (Russian efforts to increase its military presence in Belarus and further integrate Belarus into Russian-favorable frameworks and Wagner Group activity in Belarus)

Kremlin newswire  TASS  reported on January 24 that the deputy head of the Belarusian General Staff Military Academy’s Faculty, Colonel Andrei Bogodel, stated that Belarus’ updated military doctrine identifies the Baltic states, Poland, the US, Ukraine, and NATO as “unfriendly countries and organizations" to Belarus.[83]

The Belarusian Ministry of Defense (MoD) reported on January 24 that elements of the Belarusian 6th Separate Guards Mechanized Brigade (Western Operational Command) participated in fire training exercises at the Gozhsky Training Ground in Grodno, Belarus, and that elements of the 120th Guards Mechanized Brigade conducted training exercises at the 227th Combined Arms Training Ground in Borisov, Belarus.[84]

Note: ISW does not receive any classified material from any source, uses only publicly available information, and draws extensively on Russian, Ukrainian, and Western reporting and social media as well as commercially available satellite imagery and other geospatial data as the basis for these reports. References to all sources used are provided in the endnotes of each update.

[1] https://t.me/bbcrussian/59669 ; https://t.me/bbcrussian/59670; https://t.me/breakingmash/51124 ; https://t.me/dva_majors/33262; https://twitter.com/blinzka/status/1750087623203307623; https://twitter.com/bayraktar_1love/status/1750080611799245200; https://twitter.com/bayraktar_1love/status/1750081196527169618; https://twitter.com/bayraktar_1love/status/1750082034259652738; https://twitter.com/bayraktar_1love/status/1750084319408721956; https://twitter.com/bayraktar_1love/status/1750086115934241003; https://twitter.com/bayraktar_1love/status/1750088949807431879; https://twitter.com/bayraktar_1love/status/1750089662587359684; https://twitter.com/bayraktar_1love/status/1750091046791548980; https://twitter.com/666_mancer/status/1750097034542010805; https://twitter.com/GirkinGirkin/status/1750085267073929291;  https://t.me/milinfolive/114920 ; https://t.me/milinfolive/114919; https://twitter.com/RALee85/status/1750120406155935909; https://t.me/rybar/56312 ; https://t.me/voenkorKotenok/53473 ; https://t.me/voenkorKotenok/53475

[2] https://t.me/mod_russia/34967 ; https://t.me/mod_russia/34968; https://t.me/tass_agency/227807 ; https://t.me/MID_Russia/34372; https://t.me/vrogov/13980; https://t.me/SolovievLive/236297

[3] https://t.me/mod_russia/34967 ; https://t.me/mod_russia/34968; https://t.me/tass_agency/227807 ; https://t.me/MID_Russia/34372; https://t.me/vrogov/13980; https://t.me/SolovievLive/236297

[4] https://t.me/margaritasimonyan/13603 ; https://t.me/dva_majors/33275; https://t.me/wargonzo/17776 ; https://t.me/RVvoenkor/60891; https://x.com/666_mancer/status/1750141587328282754?s=20 ; https://www.bbc.com/russian/articles/cge7yvjw07do ; https://t.me/bletgorod/11106 ; https://t.me/voin_dv/6733 ; https://t.me/prigozhin_2023_tg/7042 ; https://t.me/voenkorKotenok/53487 ; https://t.me/sashakots/44645 ; https://t.me/milinfolive/114934 ; https://t.me/epoddubny/18915; https://t.me/svobodnieslova/3869 ; https://wartears dot org/record/290549

[5] https://t.me/dmytro_lubinetzs/4780; https://t.me/Koord_shtab/3935

[6] https://www.radiosvoboda dot org/a/news-hur-obmin-polonenymy/32789955.html

[7] https://t.me/DIUkraine/3356

[8] https://www.facebook.com/GeneralStaff.ua/posts/pfbid02d3aJKUYjbbWyU9S1a7FC4W3VWn71v5vFJxGbpZNApYRdrwJ1ti81NDTCQPmN4y7Jl

[9] https://www.pravda.com dot ua/rus/news/2024/01/24/7438639/

[10] https://t.me/shot_shot/61745 ; https://t.me/dva_majors/33267 ; https://t.me/RVvoenkor/60878 ; https://t.me/voenkorKotenok/53480 https://t.me/notes_veterans/15185 ; https://t.me/russkiy_opolchenec/39438

[11] https://t.me/medvedev_telegram/439; https://t.me/vrogov/13979

[12] https://meduza dot io/news/2024/01/24/rossiya-zaprosila-srochnoe-zasedanie-sovbeza-oon-iz-za-krusheniya-il-76 ; https://t.me/smotri_media/71091 ; https://t.me/tass_agency/227892; https://t.me/tass_agency/227887 ; https://suspilne dot media/668908-rosia-zaprosila-provedenna-radbezu-oon-cerez-trosu-il-76-u-belgorodskij-oblasti-mzs-rf/ https://webtv.un.org/en/asset/k1j/k1jct71x39

[13] https://www.understandingwar.org/backgrounder/russian-offensive-campaign-assessment-december-16-2023; https://www.understandingwar.org/backgrounder/russian-offensive-campaign-assessment-december-11-2023; https://www.understandingwar.org/backgrounder/russian-offensive-campaign-assessment-december-10-2023; https://www.understandingwar.org/backgrounder/russian-offensive-campaign-assessment-december-3-2023; https://www.understandingwar.org/backgrounder/russian-offensive-campaign-assessment-december-16-2023; https://www.understandingwar.org/backgrounder/russian-offensive-campaign-assessment-december-23-2023

[14] https://t.me/tass_agency/227812; https://t.me/tass_live/4928; https://tass dot ru/politika/19804239; https://t.me/milinfolive/114926 ; https://t.me/russkiy_opolchenec/39435 ; https://t.me/astrapress/46770;

[15] https://rtvi dot com/news/izderzhki-tolerantnosti-v-mvd-rossii-nazvali-strany-grazhdane-kotoryh-chashhe-vsego-sovershali-prestupleniya/

[16] https://rtvi dot com/news/izderzhki-tolerantnosti-v-mvd-rossii-nazvali-strany-grazhdane-kotoryh-chashhe-vsego-sovershali-prestupleniya/

[17] https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2019/08/16/russias-fsb-publishes-foreign-worker-statistics-for-first-time-in-20-years-a66895 ; https://ceres.georgetown.edu/research/student-projects/why-central-asians-keep-coming-to-russia-post-war/

[18] https://rtvi dot com/news/izderzhki-tolerantnosti-v-mvd-rossii-nazvali-strany-grazhdane-kotoryh-chashhe-vsego-sovershali-prestupleniya/

[19] https://www.understandingwar.org/backgrounder/russian-offensive-campaign-assessment-november-29-2023

[20] https://t.me/aisen_nikolaev/5509 ; https://t.me/sashakots/44638 ; https://t.me/korifeyhab/17699; https://t.me/kremlin_sekret/13737

[21] https://t.me/aisen_nikolaev/5509 ; https://t.me/sashakots/44638 ; https://t.me/korifeyhab/17699; https://t.me/kremlin_sekret/13737

[22] https://t.me/aisen_nikolaev/5509

[23] https://gur.gov dot ua/content/znyshchyly-vorozhu-planietu-detali-kiberataky-proty-tsentru-kosmichnoi-hidrometeorolohii-rf.html; https://t.me/DIUkraine/3350;  https://t.me/DIUkraine/3353

[24] https://t.me/DIUkraine/3341

[25] https://armyinform.com dot ua/2024/01/23/gensek-nato-masovani-udary-rf-svidchat-pro-negajnu-potrebu-posylyty-ukrayinsku-ppo/

[26] https://armyinform.com dot ua/2024/01/23/ukrayina-matyme-bilshe-zbroyi-dalnogo-urazhennya/

[27] https://isw.pub/UkrWar012324 ; https://isw.pub/UkrWar012024

[28] https://www.understandingwar.org/backgrounder/russian-offensive-campaign-assessment-january-17-2024 ; https://www.understandingwar.org/backgrounder/russian-offensive-campaign-assessment-january-8-2024 ; https://isw.pub/UkrWar010624

[29] https://t.me/MID_Russia/34371 ; https://t.me/tass_agency/227836

[30] https://t.me/mod_russia/34980

[31] https://www.understandingwar.org/backgrounder/russian-offensive-campaign-assessment-january-17-2024

[32] https://isw.pub/UkrWar011824

[33] https://t.me/KorpusAfrica/210 ; https://t.me/milinfolive/114948

[34] https://t.me/KorpusAfrica/210 ; https://t.me/milinfolive/114948

[35] https://isw.pub/UkrWar011824 ; https://www.understandingwar.org/backgrounder/russian-offensive-campaign-assessment-january-17-2024

[36] https://shape.nato.int/stde24/newsroom/news-/nato-marks-the-start-of-exercise-steadfast-defender-2024

[37] https://shape.nato.int/stde24/newsroom/news-/nato-marks-the-start-of-exercise-steadfast-defender-2024

[38] https://isw.pub/UkrWar011924 ; https://isw.pub/UkrWar012324

[39] https://www.facebook.com/serhiynaiev/posts/pfbid0TiL7B3LkBtVfMppEZ67UHHf6MKJF1ieQM3RPFfbTi5D5UiovPkPJA1oeZa9JGZyNl ; https://www.understandingwar.org/backgrounder/russian-offensive-campaign-assessment-january-23-2024

[40] https://t.me/rybar/56307 ; https://t.me/dva_majors/33256; https://t.me/DnevnikDesantnika/6690

[41] https://www.understandingwar.org/backgrounder/russian-offensive-campaign-assessment-january-23-2024 ; https://www.understandingwar.org/backgrounder/russian-offensive-campaign-assessment-january-9-2024

[42] https://t.me/wargonzo/17762 ; https://t.me/multi_XAM/1265

[43] https://www.facebook.com/GeneralStaff.ua/posts/pfbid02yi9zbkmGT8CyLUnpKnSwFm9qm21fNaMJfTQHU4xhWrEQ6wkQXuwPrvKNBWkBq1ZWl ; https://www.facebook.com/GeneralStaff.ua/posts/pfbid02QzJWDnyoFFZbm8h2gJD3EcPonqq7JBbckppggqk6p47whGEtSTRojbu7fr6NbBZXl; https://www.facebook.com/GeneralStaff.ua/posts/pfbid02khJ6ev33ZYAtEutyv8d3MGn3a7geUmBvogkDb3ZxwnE3EUYp8Vpu7eiCcpuof32pl ; https://t.me/mod_russia/34969

[44] https://t.me/boris_rozhin/110560

[45] https://t.me/rybar/56307 ; https://t.me/dva_majors/33256 ; https://t.me/ButusovPlus/7637 ; https://www.facebook.com/GeneralStaff.ua/posts/pfbid02yi9zbkmGT8CyLUnpKnSwFm9qm21fNaMJfTQHU4xhWrEQ6wkQXuwPrvKNBWkBq1ZWl ; https://www.facebook.com/GeneralStaff.ua/posts/pfbid02QzJWDnyoFFZbm8h2gJD3EcPonqq7JBbckppggqk6p47whGEtSTRojbu7fr6NbBZXl; https://www.facebook.com/GeneralStaff.ua/posts/pfbid02khJ6ev33ZYAtEutyv8d3MGn3a7geUmBvogkDb3ZxwnE3EUYp8Vpu7eiCcpuof32pl ; https://t.me/mod_russia/34969 ; https://t.me/wargonzo/17762 ; https://t.me/z_arhiv/25885 ; https://t.me/multi_XAM/1265

[46] https://t.me/wargonzo/17762 ; https://t.me/negumanitarnaya_pomosch_Z/14268

[47] https://www.facebook.com/GeneralStaff.ua/posts/pfbid02yi9zbkmGT8CyLUnpKnSwFm9qm21fNaMJfTQHU4xhWrEQ6wkQXuwPrvKNBWkBq1ZWl ; https://www.facebook.com/GeneralStaff.ua/posts/pfbid02QzJWDnyoFFZbm8h2gJD3EcPonqq7JBbckppggqk6p47whGEtSTRojbu7fr6NbBZXl; https://www.facebook.com/GeneralStaff.ua/posts/pfbid02khJ6ev33ZYAtEutyv8d3MGn3a7geUmBvogkDb3ZxwnE3EUYp8Vpu7eiCcpuof32pl ; https://t.me/multi_XAM/1265 https://t.me/rybar/56307 ; https://t.me/dva_majors/33256; https://t.me/DnevnikDesantnika/6687 l https://t.me/wargonzo/17762 ; https://t.me/multi_XAM/1265 ; https://t.me/mod_russia/34969

[48] https://t.me/RVvoenkor/60852 (Bakhmut) ; https://t.me/boris_rozhin/110548 (Bakhmut) ; https://t.me/milinfolive/114900 (Bakhmut’s northern flank)

[49] https://t.me/wargonzo/17762

[50] https://www.facebook.com/GeneralStaff.ua/posts/pfbid02yi9zbkmGT8CyLUnpKnSwFm9qm21fNaMJfTQHU4xhWrEQ6wkQXuwPrvKNBWkBq1ZWl ; https://www.facebook.com/GeneralStaff.ua/posts/pfbid02QzJWDnyoFFZbm8h2gJD3EcPonqq7JBbckppggqk6p47whGEtSTRojbu7fr6NbBZXl; https://www.facebook.com/GeneralStaff.ua/posts/pfbid02khJ6ev33ZYAtEutyv8d3MGn3a7geUmBvogkDb3ZxwnE3EUYp8Vpu7eiCcpuof32pl ; https://t.me/rybar/56299 ; https://t.me/rybar/56307 ; https://t.me/dva_majors/33256 https://t.me/DnevnikDesantnika/6689 ; https://t.me/wargonzo/17762 ; https://t.me/voenkorKotenok/53464

[51] https://twitter.com/Tatarigami_UA/status/1749922739467477072

[52] https://twitter.com/Tatarigami_UA/status/1749922739467477072

[53] https://t.me/negumanitarnaya_pomosch_Z/14284 ; https://t.me/dva_majors/33288 ; https://t.me/RVvoenkor/60923 ; https://t.me/negumanitarnaya_pomosch_Z/14287

[54] https://t.me/wargonzo/17762 ; https://t.me/rybar/56307 ; https://t.me/dva_majors/33256; https://t.me/DnevnikDesantnika/6687

[55] https://www.facebook.com/GeneralStaff.ua/posts/pfbid02yi9zbkmGT8CyLUnpKnSwFm9qm21fNaMJfTQHU4xhWrEQ6wkQXuwPrvKNBWkBq1ZWl ; https://www.facebook.com/GeneralStaff.ua/posts/pfbid02QzJWDnyoFFZbm8h2gJD3EcPonqq7JBbckppggqk6p47whGEtSTRojbu7fr6NbBZXl; https://www.facebook.com/GeneralStaff.ua/posts/pfbid02khJ6ev33ZYAtEutyv8d3MGn3a7geUmBvogkDb3ZxwnE3EUYp8Vpu7eiCcpuof32pl ;https://t.me/voenkorKotenok/53464 ; https://t.me/wargonzo/17762 ; https://t.me/rybar/56307 ; https://t.me/dva_majors/33256; https://t.me/DnevnikDesantnika/6689

[56] https://t.me/rybar/56307 ; https://t.me/dva_majors/33256; https://t.me/DnevnikDesantnika/6689

[57] https://t.me/Sladkov_plus/9615

[58] https://www.facebook.com/GeneralStaff.ua/posts/pfbid02QzJWDnyoFFZbm8h2gJD3EcPonqq7JBbckppggqk6p47whGEtSTRojbu7fr6NbBZXl; https://www.facebook.com/GeneralStaff.ua/posts/pfbid02khJ6ev33ZYAtEutyv8d3MGn3a7geUmBvogkDb3ZxwnE3EUYp8Vpu7eiCcpuof32pl; https://t.me/voin_dv/6728; https://t.me/multi_XAM/1265

[59] https://www.facebook.com/GeneralStaff.ua/posts/pfbid02QzJWDnyoFFZbm8h2gJD3EcPonqq7JBbckppggqk6p47whGEtSTRojbu7fr6NbBZXl; https://www.facebook.com/GeneralStaff.ua/posts/pfbid02khJ6ev33ZYAtEutyv8d3MGn3a7geUmBvogkDb3ZxwnE3EUYp8Vpu7eiCcpuof32pl

[60] https://www.facebook.com/GeneralStaff.ua/posts/pfbid02yi9zbkmGT8CyLUnpKnSwFm9qm21fNaMJfTQHU4xhWrEQ6wkQXuwPrvKNBWkBq1ZWl; https://www.facebook.com/GeneralStaff.ua/posts/pfbid02QzJWDnyoFFZbm8h2gJD3EcPonqq7JBbckppggqk6p47whGEtSTRojbu7fr6NbBZXl; https://www.facebook.com/GeneralStaff.ua/posts/pfbid02khJ6ev33ZYAtEutyv8d3MGn3a7geUmBvogkDb3ZxwnE3EUYp8Vpu7eiCcpuof32pl; https://t.me/wargonzo/17762; https://t.me/rybar/56307 ; https://t.me/dva_majors/33256; https://t.me/DnevnikDesantnika/6682; https://t.me/negumanitarnaya_pomosch_Z/14268

[61] https://www.facebook.com/GeneralStaff.ua/posts/pfbid02yi9zbkmGT8CyLUnpKnSwFm9qm21fNaMJfTQHU4xhWrEQ6wkQXuwPrvKNBWkBq1ZWl; https://www.facebook.com/GeneralStaff.ua/posts/pfbid02QzJWDnyoFFZbm8h2gJD3EcPonqq7JBbckppggqk6p47whGEtSTRojbu7fr6NbBZXl; https://www.facebook.com/GeneralStaff.ua/posts/pfbid02khJ6ev33ZYAtEutyv8d3MGn3a7geUmBvogkDb3ZxwnE3EUYp8Vpu7eiCcpuof32pl; https://t.me/rybar/56307 ; https://t.me/dva_majors/33256;

[62] https://twitter.com/EjShahid/status/1749800515888902248 ; https://x.com/666_mancer/status/1749898855577960661?s=20 ; https://t.me/ssternenko/24647

[63] https://t.me/atesh_ua/3368

[64] https://t.me/RKadyrov_95/4388

[65] https://t.me/RKadyrov_95/4389

[66] https://t.me/RKadyrov_95/4389

[67] https://isw.pub/UkrWar012224

[68] https://rg dot ru/2024/01/23/drony-pancir-ne-probiut.html; https://lenta dot ru/news/2024/01/23/rackety/

[69] https://www.gazeta dot ru/army/news/2024/01/23/22169455.shtml

[70] https://www.canada.ca/en/department-national-defence/news/2024/01/minister-blair-announces-new-military-donations-for-ukraine-at-the-18th-meeting-of-the-ukraine-defense-contact-group.html

[71] https://www.deutschlandfunk dot de/militaerhubschrauber-der-bundeswehr-fuer-die-ukraine-erste-deutsche-lieferung-dieser-art-100.html

[72] https://www.fmn dot dk/da/nyheder/2024/danmark-giver-substantielt-bidrag-til-styrkelsen-af-ukrainsk-cyberforsvar-og-it/

[73] https://www.eurointegration.com dot ua/interview/2024/01/23/7177961/ ; https://isw.pub/UkrWar011224

[74] https://armyinform.com dot ua/2024/01/24/zastupnyk-ministra-oborony-vprovadzhuyemo-novu-arhitekturu-zakupivel-za-standartamy-nato/

[75] https://armyinform.com dot ua/2024/01/24/zastupnyk-ministra-oborony-vprovadzhuyemo-novu-arhitekturu-zakupivel-za-standartamy-nato/

[76] https://t.me/tass_agency/227886

[77] https://sprotyv.mod dot gov.ua/vorog-prodovzhuye-chynyty-tysk-na-ukrayintsiv/

[78] https://armyinform.com dot ua/2024/01/23/ukrayina-volodymyr-zelenskyj-i-zsu-zvit-yes-nazvav-golovni-misheni-inozemnoyi-dezinformacziyi/ ; https://www.eeas.europa dot eu/eeas/disinformation-and-foreign-interference-speech-high-representativevice-president-josep-borrell-eeas_en; https://www.eeas dot europa.eu/eeas/2nd-eeas-report-foreign-information-manipulation-and-interference-threats_en

[79] https://www.eeas.europa dot eu/eeas/disinformation-and-foreign-interference-speech-high-representativevice-president-josep-borrell-eeas_en

[80] https://t.me/MID_Russia/34375

[81] https://t.me/rybar/56311; https://rybar dot ru/velikij-kazahskij-shovinizm/

[82] https://www.understandingwar.org/backgrounder/russian-offensive-campaign-assessment-january-23-2024; https://t.me/rybar/56326

[83] https://t.me/tass_agency/227895 ; ; https://tass dot ru/mezhdunarodnaya-panorama/19808599

[84] https://t.me/modmilby/35569 ; https://t.me/modmilby/35583 ; https://t.me/belta_telegramm/233217 ; https://t.me/modmilby/35578 ; https://t.me/modmilby/35572 ; https://t.me/belta_telegramm/233225