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As the world watches the Russian invasion of Ukraine unfold, UkraineAlert delivers the best Atlantic Council expert insight and analysis on Ukraine twice a week directly to your inbox.

editor’s picks

Latest analysis

UkraineAlert

Aug 14, 2025

Trump should insist on the return of Ukrainian children abducted by Russia

By Mercedes Sapuppo

When US President Donald Trump sits down with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in Alaska on Friday, he must demand the return of the thousands of Ukrainian children abducted by Russia, writes Mercedes Sapuppo.

Conflict Human Rights

UkraineAlert

Aug 12, 2025

Sacrificing Ukraine will only increase the cost of stopping Putin’s Russia

By Pavlo Zhovnirenko

Pressuring Ukraine to accept a Kremlin-friendly settlement may succeed in pausing the current war, but it will not bring peace. On the contrary, it will set the stage for international instability on a far larger scale, writes Pavlo Zhovnirenko.

China Conflict

UkraineAlert

Aug 11, 2025

Alaska Summit: Trump must press Putin over future Ukrainian security

By John E. Herbst

Trump-Putin Alaska Summit: If Moscow insists on the acceptance of Russian control over Ukrainian land for a ceasefire, it must accept strong measures to bolster Ukrainian security as well, writes John E. Herbst.

Conflict European Union

UkraineAlert

Aug 7, 2025

Ukraine’s expanding robot army can help address manpower shortages

By David Kirichenko

Robotic systems are in many ways an ideal battlefield solution for Ukraine as the country seeks ways to leverage its proven tech prowess in order to defend itself in a grueling war of attrition against a far larger enemy, writes David Kirichenko.

Conflict Defense Industry

UkraineAlert

Aug 5, 2025

Digital democracy is the key to staging wartime elections in Ukraine

By Brian Mefford

With no end in sight to Russia’s invasion, Ukraine cannot afford to postpone all elections indefinitely. With this in mind, it is time to start the process of digitalizing Ukraine’s democracy, writes Brian Mefford.

Civil Society Democratic Transitions

UkraineAlert

Aug 5, 2025

Ukraine’s anti-corruption reforms are more vital than ever during wartime

By Olena Halushka

The recent wave of nationwide protests in defense of the country’s anti-corruption reforms served as a timely reminder that Ukraine’s democratic instincts remain strong, even amid the horrors of Russia’s invasion and the escalating bombardment of Ukrainian cities, writes Olena Halushka.

Civil Society Conflict

UkraineAlert

Jul 30, 2025

A Ukraine without Ukrainians: Putin is erasing Europe’s largest nation

By Peter Dickinson

Russia is systematically erasing all traces of Ukrainian national identity throughout occupied Ukraine as Vladimir Putin pursues an extreme form of eliminationist imperialism in the heart of twenty-first century Europe, writes Peter Dickinson.

Civil Society Conflict

UkraineAlert

Jul 30, 2025

Ukraine’s democracy is the key to the country’s Euro-Atlantic integration

By Alyona Getmanchuk

While Ukraine currently faces a range of unique challenges, this cannot justify neglecting democratic principles. On the contrary, defending the democratic gains of recent decades is vital if further progress toward Euro-Atlantic integration is to be achieved, writes Alyona Getmanchuk.

Civil Society Conflict

UkraineAlert

Jul 29, 2025

Trump offered Putin victory in Ukraine. Why did Putin refuse?

By Peter Dickinson

Trump thought he could get a peace deal in Ukraine by offering Putin generous terms that amounted to a Russian victory. But Putin rejected Trump’s offer because he cannot accept anything less that Ukraine’s complete capitulation, writes Peter Dickinson.

Conflict Disinformation

UkraineAlert

Jul 29, 2025

US ambassador: China believes it is waging a proxy war through Russia

By Mykola Bielieskov

US Ambassador to NATO Matthew Whitaker has attacked China for supporting Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and accused Beijing of waging a “proxy war” to distract the West, writes Mykola Bielieskov.

China Conflict

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The views expressed in UkraineAlert are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Atlantic Council, its staff, or its supporters.

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UkraineAlert

Aug 25, 2021

Putin’s pipeline poses an “existential threat” to Ukraine

By Diane Francis

The CEO of Ukraine's energy giant Naftogaz, Yuriy Vitrenko, has branded Vladimir Putin's Nord Stream 2 pipeline project an existential threat to Ukraine and a security threat to Europe as a whole.

Conflict Geopolitics & Energy Security

UkraineAlert

Aug 24, 2021

Looking back at the events that defined three decades of Ukrainian independence

By Peter Dickinson

As Ukrainians celebrated the thirtieth anniversary of their country's independence, the Atlantic Council asked a range of experts for their opinions on the most significant events during independent Ukraine's first three decades.

Civil Society Conflict

UkraineAlert

Aug 23, 2021

UKRAINE AT 30: What is independent Ukraine’s greatest achievement?

By Peter Dickinson

Ukraine marks 30 years of independence this week with much to celebrate and plenty to regret. The Atlantic Council invited a range of experts to share their thoughts on independent Ukraine’s greatest achievements.

Democratic Transitions Resilience & Society

UkraineAlert

Aug 23, 2021

Biden can reassert US leadership by backing Ukraine against Russia

By Alexander Vershbow

President Biden must use his August 31 meeting with Ukraine's President Zelenskyy to underline America's commitment to defending the rules-based international order and supporting Ukraine against Russian aggression.

Conflict Democratic Transitions

UkraineAlert

Aug 23, 2021

Is Ukraine’s split from Russia now irreversible?

By Peter Dickinson

Ukraine’s split from Russia ranks as one of the most consequential European events since the Soviet collapse. But is this geopolitical divorce now final, or could Moscow still force Kyiv back into Russia's orbit?

Conflict Democratic Transitions

UkraineAlert

Aug 21, 2021

How modern Ukraine was made on Maidan

By Peter Dickinson

Since 1991, Ukraine's two post-Soviet Maidan revolutions have helped define the country as an emerging democracy that seeks to escape from the orbit of authoritarian Russia and embrace Euro-Atlantic integration.

Civil Society Democratic Transitions

UkraineAlert

Aug 19, 2021

Making the most of Ukraine’s tech talent

By Constantine Yevtushenko

Ukraine's IT sector is playing an increasingly important role in the country's economic growth. The key now is to build the right ecosystem to allow Ukraine's tech talent to flourish, says Constantine Yevtushenko.

Digital Policy Economy & Business

UkraineAlert

Aug 19, 2021

Ukraine shines a spotlight on Putin’s Crimean crime

By Peter Dickinson

Representations of forty countries are set to gather in Kyiv on August 23 for the inaugural Crimea Platform summit to address the ongoing Russian occupation of the Ukrainian peninsula.

Conflict Russia

UkraineAlert

Aug 17, 2021

Biden and Merkel must confront Putin’s imperial ambitions in Ukraine

By Peter Dickinson

Russian President Vladimir Putin's recent essay "On the Historical Unity of Russians and Ukrainians" argued that Russians and Ukrainians are "one people," but an overwhelming majority of Ukrainians do not agree.

Conflict Disinformation

UkraineAlert

Aug 16, 2021

Afghanistan collapse sparks wave of alarm in Ukraine

By Alyona Getmanchuk

The complete collapse of the US-backed Afghan government in recent weeks has sparked alarm in Ukraine and led to questions over the future of the country's own strategic partnership with America.

Afghanistan Conflict