Stay Updated

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

Jun 22, 2021

Land reform can make Ukraine an agricultural superpower

By Roman Leshchenko

Ukraine stands today on the threshold of historic change. The country will launch its agricultural land market on July 1. This is one of the most significant landmarks in the 30 years of Ukrainian independence.

Corruption Economy & Business

UkraineAlert

Jun 22, 2021

Business community seeks to boost Ukraine’s market infrastructure

By Andy Hunder

Ukrainian officials and representatives of the business community signed a memorandum of understanding on June 8 for the NEXT-UA initiative, which aims to help buttress Ukraine’s market infrastructure.

Economy & Business Fiscal and Structural Reform

UkraineAlert

Jun 19, 2021

The dangers of echoing Russian disinformation on Ukraine

By Andreas Umland

Disinformation has been central to Russia's seven-year hybrid war against Ukraine. By echoing Kremlin narratives, Western commentators risk enabling Russian aggression and undermining international security.

Conflict Disinformation

UkraineAlert

Jun 19, 2021

Ukraine’s choice: corruption or growth

By Willem Buiter

As Ukraine prepares to mark 30 years of independence, it is clear that until corruption is confronted in a comprehensive and decisive manner, it will continue to prevent the country from achieving economic growth.

Corruption Democratic Transitions

UkraineAlert

Jun 19, 2021

Armenian voters offered false choice between security and democracy

By Lusine Hakobyan

Armenians will go to the polls on June 20 in snap parliamentary elections that the opposition seeks to position as a straight choice between democracy and security following the country's 2020 military defeat.

Democratic Transitions Elections

UkraineAlert

Jun 17, 2021

Biden-Putin summit review: Good news for Ukraine?

By Peter Dickinson

Few countries were as anxious as Ukraine ahead of Wednesday’s summit in Geneva between US President Joe Biden and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, but can Kyiv regard the outcome as favorable?

Conflict Politics & Diplomacy

UkraineAlert

Jun 15, 2021

Putin’s Ukraine War: Will Russia attempt a Black Sea blockade?

By Andriy Zagorodnyuk

The international community spent much of April 2021 nervously watching the Ukrainian border for signs of a new Kremlin offensive, but Russia's next escalation may come in the Black Sea.

Conflict Maritime Security

UkraineAlert

Jun 14, 2021

Geopolitical weapon: Putin’s pipeline nears completion

By Benjamin Schmitt

This week's summit meeting between Joe Biden and Vladimir Putin may be one of the last opportunities for the US to take a stand against the Kremlin's controversial Nord Stream 2 pipeline project.

Geopolitics & Energy Security Russia

UkraineAlert

Jun 12, 2021

NATO must stand with Ukraine against Russian aggression

By Paul Grod

NATO's 2008 decision to deny Ukraine a Membership Action Plan paved the way for Putin's 2014 attack. NATO leaders must now back Ukraine to prevent a further escalation in Russia's war on the post-1991 settlement.

Conflict NATO Partnerships

UkraineAlert

Jun 10, 2021

Pro-Kremlin propaganda in Ukraine changes tone

By Peter Pomerantsev, Inna Nelles, Volodymyr Yermolenko, Angelina Kariakina

Pro-Kremlin propaganda in Ukraine is changing. Praising Putin is a harder sell since the 2014 invasion, so now the focus is less on boosting Russia and more about making the West look just as bad.

Disinformation Media

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.

The Eurasia Center’s mission is to enhance transatlantic cooperation in promoting stability, democratic values, and prosperity in Eurasia, from Eastern Europe and Turkey in the West to the Caucasus, Russia, and Central Asia in the East.

Follow us on social media
and support our work

Content

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

UkraineAlert

Aug 30, 2021

What unites Ukrainians?

By Arena

As Ukraine enters its fourth decade of statehood, new research based on more than 20 focus groups held across the country offers fascinating insights into the issues and experiences that unite Ukrainians.

Democratic Transitions Resilience & Society