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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

Sep 17, 2026

Ukraine can do more to counter Russia’s illicit finance threat

By Matthew McGlynn

For more than four years, Ukraine has impressed global audiences with the country’s ability to defend itself against Russia on land, at sea, and in the air. Illicit finance is another important front in the fight against Russian aggression, writes Matthew McGlynn.

Conflict Cybersecurity

UkraineAlert

Sep 17, 2026

Putin is escalating against NATO but a Baltic incursion remains unlikely

By James Rice

The recent escalation in Russian gray zone aggression across Europe has sparked a lively debate over how far the Kremlin may be prepared to go, but a Russian attack on the Baltic states remains unlikely, writes James Rice.

Conflict European Union

UkraineAlert

Sep 15, 2026

With Putin overextended in Ukraine, Armenia is turning away from Russia

By Joseph Epstein

Every day Ukraine keeps fighting, Russian influence grows weaker in the countries of the ex-USSR that Moscow refers to as the “near abroad.” Nowhere is this Russian retreat clearer than in Armenia, writes Joseph Epstein.

Conflict Democratic Transitions

UkraineAlert

Sep 13, 2026

Learning from Ukraine’s unrivaled experience of Russian cyber warfare

By Iryna Volnytska

No country in the world today knows more about Russian cyber warfare than Ukraine, but further steps are required in order to help Kyiv’s partners make the most of Ukraine’s unrivaled experience, writes Iryna Volnytska.

Conflict Cybersecurity

UkraineAlert

Sep 11, 2026

Ukrainian police are preventing Russia from turning civilians into saboteurs

By Andrii Niebytov, Clara Kaluderovic

Since spring 2024, Russia has been waging a campaign far behind the front lines featuring arson, sabotage, and terrorist attacks using Ukrainians who are recruited online, deceived, and discarded, write Andrii Niebytov and Clara Kaluderovic.

Conflict Infrastructure Protection

UkraineAlert

Sep 10, 2026

Russia’s escalating bombing campaign is terrorizing Ukrainian schoolchildren

By Shelby Magid

Russia's escalating bombardment of Ukrainian cities is terrorizing a generation of Ukrainian schoolchildren who are being prevented from attending classes or forced to spend days in bomb shelters, writes Shelby Magid.

Civil Society Conflict

UkraineAlert

Sep 10, 2026

As Russia’s invasion falters, Putin boasts of imaginary victories

By Peter Dickinson

Putin was caught lying about imaginary Russian victories again in September. His habit of exaggerating battlefield gains reflects mounting unease over the credibility gap between the Kremlin’s superpower pretensions and his army’s underwhelming performance in Ukraine, writes Peter Dickinson.

Conflict Disinformation

UkraineAlert

Sep 8, 2026

Ukrainian drone strikes are disarming Russia’s energy weapon

By Ana Lejava

For years, Russia wielded its energy capacity as a weapon against its neighbors to manipulate, coerce, and control. Ukraine’s strategic bombing campaign is now turning this energy weapon against Moscow itself, writes Ana Lejava.

Central Asia Conflict

UkraineAlert

Sep 8, 2026

Putin welcomes Trump’s peace envoys but has no intention of ending the war

By Peter Dickinson

Trump’s envoys continue to discuss win-win scenarios, but Putin is playing a zero sum game. His invasion of Ukraine is not a land grab or a geopolitical real estate deal. It is an attempt to reverse the Soviet collapse and revive the Russian Empire, writes Peter Dickinson.

Conflict Disinformation

UkraineAlert

Sep 3, 2026

Putin cannot defeat NATO but he could divide and discredit the alliance

By Peter Dickinson

If Russian President Vladimir Putin decides to attack NATO, his goal will be to divide and discredit the alliance rather than actually defeating it, writes Peter Dickinson.

Conflict Defense Policy

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UkraineAlert

Mar 14, 2026

UN: Putin’s deportation of Ukrainian children is a crime against humanity

By Peter Dickinson

Russia’s deportation of Ukrainian children is a crime against humanity, a new United Nations investigation has found. The mass abduction and indoctrination of Ukrainian children is part of a genocidal Kremlin plan to erase Ukrainian identity, writes Peter Dickinson.

Conflict Disinformation

UkraineAlert

Mar 12, 2026

Iran war highlights Ukraine’s rapid rise to drone superpower status

By David Kirichenko

The Iran war has sparked a sudden surge in international demand for Kyiv’s unique anti-drone expertise and highlighted Ukraine's rapid emergence as one of the world's leading drone warfare superpowers, writes David Kirichenko.

Conflict Defense Technologies

UkraineAlert

Mar 10, 2026

Western leaders must abandon false hopes of negotiated peace with Putin

By Oleksandr Merezhko

If Western leaders seek a sustainable peace in Europe, they must abandon false hopes of a negotiated deal with Putin and instead demonstrate the kind of resolve that will make Russia listen, writes Oleksandr Merezhko.

Conflict European Union

UkraineAlert

Mar 10, 2026

Russian talk of protecting compatriots masks Putin’s imperial ambitions

By Agnia Grigas

Four years after Russia launched its full scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the international debate about how the war should end remains haunted by myths first promoted by the Kremlin more than a decade ago, writes Agnia Grigas.

Belarus Central Asia

UkraineAlert

Mar 5, 2026

Iran war could save Vladimir Putin’s failing Ukraine invasion

By Peter Dickinson

While Russia’s inability to assist Iran is undoubtedly embarrassing for the Kremlin, Vladimir Putin could still emerge as a key beneficiary of the escalating conflict in the Middle East, writes Peter Dickinson.

Conflict Drones

UkraineAlert

Mar 5, 2026

Russian army faces comms crisis amid Starlink cut and Kremlin crackdown

By Katherine Spencer, Marc Goedemans

The Russian army in Ukraine is facing a growing communication crisis amid recent disruptions to Telegram and Starlink, leaving troops increasingly in the dark and exposing mounting strains inside Russia, write Katherine Spencer and Marc Goedemans.

Conflict Defense Technologies

UkraineAlert

Mar 2, 2026

Ukraine’s experience is indispensable in the fight against Iranian drones

By Peter Dickinson

Britain has announced plans to deploy Ukrainian drone warfare specialists to the Middle East as part of international efforts to counter the growing threat posed by swarms of Iranian drones, writes Peter Dickinson.

Conflict Defense Technologies

UkraineAlert

Mar 2, 2026

Missiles made in Ukraine are bringing Putin’s invasion home to Russia

By David Kirichenko

Ukraine is investing in a domestic missile program to create the kind of long-range strike potential that could force Putin to the negotiating table and serve as a deterrent against future Russian aggression, writes David Kirichenko.

Conflict Defense Industry

UkraineAlert

Mar 2, 2026

Europe must not seek Putin’s approval before sending troops to Ukraine

By Stephen Blank

European leaders representing Coalition of the Willing countries reportedly reject the idea of sending troops to Ukraine without first securing Russian President Vladimir Putin's approval, writes Stephen Blank.

Conflict European Union

UkraineAlert

Feb 26, 2026

Ukraine’s women may hold the key to the country’s future security

By Calin Trenkov-Wermuth, Sofia Kryshtal

Ukraine's female population should play a larger part in the country's future security strategy and can take on a wide range of military support and administrative roles far from the front lines, write Calin Trenkov-Wermuth and Sofia Kryshtal.

Conflict Defense Policy