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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

Oct 7, 2021

Ukraine seeks peace with the past

By Olesya Khromeychuk

Since becoming independent in 1991, Ukraine had been locked in relentless memory wars. Three decades on, the country may now be moving towards a new era marked by more meaningful commemoration of the troubled past.

Disinformation
Resilience & Society

UkraineAlert

Oct 7, 2021

The EU must stop serving as a playground for corrupt Ukrainian oligarchs and officials

By Daria Kaleniuk

If the EU is serious about helping Ukraine achieve a decisive break with the institutional corruption of the post-Soviet era, it must also stop serving as a playground for corrupt Ukrainian oligarchs and officials.

Corruption
Democratic Transitions

UkraineAlert

Oct 5, 2021

Saakashvili arrest overshadows Georgian ruling party’s election win

By Peter Dickinson

Georgia’s ruling party Georgian Dream secured victory in October 2 local elections but the imprisonment of returning ex-president Mikheil Saakashvili leaves little realistic chance of an end to political tensions.

Elections
The Caucasus

UkraineAlert

Oct 4, 2021

Time to rethink Ukraine’s fight against corruption

By Bohdan Vitvitsky

The ongoing struggle against corruption in Ukraine would benefit from greater coordination among the country’s international partners and a longer term strategy, argues Bohdan Vitvitsky.

Corruption
Democratic Transitions

UkraineAlert

Oct 1, 2021

Europe is under attack from Putin’s energy weapon

By Sergiy Makogon

Moscow’s Nord Stream 2 pipeline has yet to enter service but Russian President Vladimir Putin is already being accused of weaponizing energy supplies and attempting to blackmail Europe with high gas prices.

European Union
Geopolitics & Energy Security

UkraineAlert

Sep 30, 2021

Europe’s new Russia policy must focus on human rights

By Dave Elseroad, Nora Wehofsits

As the European Union looks to review and update its Russia policy, it is vital EU leaders focus on the growing human rights crisis that is threatening to spill over from Russia itself and undo the EU’s own post-1991 progress.

Civil Society
European Union

UkraineAlert

Sep 29, 2021

How Ukraine can become a global IT powerhouse

By Yegor Chernev

Ukraine already boasts one of the region’s most dynamic IT industries but further work is required to improve the business climate in order to make the most of the country’s considerable tech sector potential.

Digital Currencies
Digital Policy

BelarusAlert

Sep 29, 2021

Lukashenka vs. Ukraine

By Brian Whitmore

Belarus dictator Alyaksandr Lukashenka has accused NATO of establishing military bases in Ukraine and has vowed to respond together with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Belarus
Conflict

UkraineAlert

Sep 28, 2021

American author’s timely love letter to Odesa

By Anthony Bartaway

American author Vladislav Davidzon’s new book “From Odessa With Love” takes readers on an entertaining and enlightening tour of Ukraine’s famously colorful and cosmopolitan Black Sea port city.

Resilience & Society
Ukraine

UkraineAlert

Sep 25, 2021

How village cheese is bringing Ukraine closer to Europe

By Dmytro Tuzhanskyi

A village cheese-making initiative in western Ukraine’s Zakarpattia Oblast is bringing a taste of Western Europe to the Ukrainian countryside and highlighting the possibilities of agricultural entrepreneurship.

Economy & Business
Resilience & Society

spotlight

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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Content

UkraineAlert

Sep 14, 2021

Ukraine’s Zelenskyy vows to fight for judicial reform

By Halyna Chyzhyk

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has called an extraordinary meeting of politicians, diplomats, and members of the judiciary in order to prevent his flagship judicial reform drive from being sabotaged and derailed.

Corruption
Democratic Transitions

UkraineAlert

Sep 9, 2021

Odesa’s unique place in Ukraine’s cultural evolution

By Andrew D’Anieri

Ukrainian Black Sea port city Odesa occupies a unique place in the country's cultural evolution thanks to its unrivaled international pedigree and the limitless creative ambitions of the local cultural community.

Civil Society
Resilience & Society

UkraineAlert

Sep 9, 2021

Why Ukraine must join NATO

By Adrian Hoefer

Given the Kremlin's hostile revisionism, Ukraine's membership in NATO is in the long-term interest of the US and its allies. As Moscow expands its hybrid war on the West, Ukraine is an asset.

Eastern Europe
International Organizations

UkraineAlert

Sep 9, 2021

Navigating the geopolitical battlefield of Ukrainian history

By Serhii Plokhy

Prominent Ukrainian historian Serhii Plokhy's latest essay collection seeks to demonstrate how the country's evolving sense of national history is central to Ukraine’s current war with Russia and its relations with the West.

Resilience & Society
Ukraine

UkraineAlert

Sep 7, 2021

Could Vladimir Putin repeat his Crimean conquest in southwestern Ukraine?

By Michael Druckman

The Bessarabia region in southwestern Ukraine shares many of the same characteristics that helped facilitate the 2014 Kremlin takeover of Crimea and should be a national security priority for the Ukrainian authorities.

Conflict
Disinformation

UkraineAlert

Sep 7, 2021

Ukraine’s digital revolution is gaining momentum

By Mykhailo Fedorov

September marks the second anniversary of Ukraine's Ministry of Digital Transformation. The Ministry can report significant progress in turning President Zelenskyy's dreams of a digital revolution into reality.

Digital Policy
Internet

UkraineAlert

Sep 5, 2021

US anti-corruption crusade should focus on Europe’s east

By Janusz Bugajski

By making the fight against corruption a key US foreign policy priority, President Biden can counter the Kremlin's efforts to gain influence throughout Central and Eastern Europe via the exploitation of corruption.

Central Europe
Corruption

UkraineAlert

Sep 2, 2021

Biden and Zelenskyy get US-Ukraine ties back on track

By Peter Dickinson

US President Joe Biden hosted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the White House on September 1 for a meeting that sought to reaffirm America’s unwavering commitment to Ukrainian sovereignty.

Democratic Transitions
Politics & Diplomacy

UkraineAlert

Sep 1, 2021

Young Ukrainians must not remain hostages to the country’s totalitarian trauma

By Sonya Rashkovan

Modern Ukraine remains haunted by the legacy of the country's deeply troubled history, but the emerging generation of young Ukrainians must move beyond this totalitarian trauma in order to build a better future, argues 16-year-old student activist Sonya Rashkovan.

Democratic Transitions
Resilience & Society

UkraineAlert

Aug 31, 2021

Could Snake Island be the next hot spot in Vladimir Putin’s Ukraine war?

By Andrew D’Anieri, Doug Klain

Vladimir Putin's hybrid war against Ukraine is now in its eighth year and shows no signs of ending. Many expect the next escalation to come in the Black Sea, with Ukraine's Snake Island a potentially attractive target.

Conflict
Maritime Security