Holy shit... I read Bellingcat from time to time, I've known of them since the founder's kickstarter. This is nuts. If even half of what this article says is true, they're just a mouthpiece for the US intelligence community.
i've lost faith that bellingact is neutral. Just read the headlines on their website. It's obvious to me they have agendas (in the plural). Also, it's shadowbanned on HN.
Despite this, i still enjoy some of their articles, so it's a mixed bag.