I could not derive from the article that they are shady. All it said is that they receive money from National Endowment for Democracy, just as Thomson Reuters Foundation. I am not sure why this is shady per se. Maybe you can explain?

Bellingcat was crucial in identifying the Tiergarten killer and the corresponding researcher was invited to court as a witness[1].

[1] https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/dec/15/germany-convic...