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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

May 15, 2025

Russia’s aerial attacks on Ukrainian civilians must not go unpunished

By Anastasiya Donets, Susan H. Farbstein 

Holding Russia legally accountable for the ongoing air offensive against Ukraine’s civilian population is particularly important as this form of total war looks set to make a return, write Anastasiya Donets and Susan H. Farbstein. 

Conflict Defense Policy

UkraineAlert

May 15, 2025

Ukraine’s vibrant civil society wants to be heard during peace talks

By Ana Lejava

While officials in Moscow, Washington, Brussels, and Kyiv discuss technicalities and potential concessions, members of Ukraine’s vibrant civil society are attempting to define the contours of a lasting and meaningful peace, writes Ana Lejava.

Civil Society Conflict

UkraineAlert

May 13, 2025

How much longer will Putin be allowed to continue stalling for time?

By Peter Dickinson

President Trump has made a legitimate effort to broker a generous peace, but the time has now come to acknowledge that Putin is not negotiating in good faith and will only respond to the language of strength, writes Peter Dickinson.

France Germany

UkraineAlert

May 13, 2025

Drone superpower: Ukrainian wartime innovation offers lessons for NATO

By David Kirichenko

Today’s Ukraine is now a drone superpower with an innovative domestic defense industry that can provide its NATO allies with important lessons in the realities of twenty-first century warfare, writes David Kirichenko.

Conflict Defense Industry

UkraineAlert

May 8, 2025

Russia’s coming summer offensive could be deadliest of the entire war

By Mykola Bielieskov

As the US-led peace initiative continues to falter, the unfolding summer campaigning season in Ukraine promises to be among the bloodiest of the entire war, writes Mykola Bielieskov.

Conflict European Union

UkraineAlert

May 7, 2025

Putin’s parade cynically exploits WWII to justify his own criminal invasion

By Peter Dickinson

Putin is expected to use this week’s Victory Day parade marking 80 years since the defeat of Hitler to legitimize his current invasion of Ukraine. But if anyone is guilty of echoing the crimes of the Nazis, it is Putin himself, writes Peter Dickinson.

Brazil China

UkraineAlert

May 6, 2025

Putin is escalating the war in Ukraine. He will not stop until he is stopped.

By Alyona Nevmerzhytska

Today, Ukrainians are paying a terrible price for the West’s reluctance to confront Russia. If Putin is not stopped in Ukraine, many other countries will also count the cost of this failure, writes Alyona Nevmerzhytska.

Conflict European Union

UkraineAlert

May 6, 2025

The shadow of 1930s appeasement hangs over US-led peace talks

By Oleksandr Merezhko

As the world prepares to mark the eightieth anniversary of the victory over Nazi Germany, the shadow of events leading up to World War II hangs over efforts to end Russia’s current invasion of Ukraine, writes Oleksandr Merezhko.

Conflict European Union

UkraineAlert

May 1, 2025

Putin confirms North Korean troops are fighting for Russia against Ukraine

By Olivia Yanchik

More than six months after the story was first reported, Russian President Vladimir Putin has officially confirmed the presence of North Korean troops in Russia’s war against Ukraine, writes Olivia Yanchik.

Conflict Defense Policy

UkraineAlert

May 1, 2025

Cautious optimism in Kyiv as Ukraine reacts to landmark US minerals deal

By Peter Dickinson

There was a sense of cautious optimism in Kyiv on Thursday morning as Ukrainians reacted to news that a long-awaited natural resources agreement with the United States had finally been signed, writes Peter Dickinson.

Conflict Economy & Business

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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

Jul 20, 2020

Statelessness in Ukraine: New law offers fresh hope

By Eric Fritz and Kseniia Karahiaur

Almost thirty years since the collapse of the USSR, statelessness remains a significant issue in independent Ukraine, but new legislation aims to make it easier for residents to gain legal status.

Human Rights International Norms

UkraineAlert

Jul 17, 2020

Israeli-Ukrainian artist offers window on late Soviet realities

By Jacob Heilbrunn

Artist Zoya Cherkassky stands for something permanent and enduring, drawing on the deep traditions that she encountered both in Ukraine and in Judaism.

Civil Society Israel

UkraineAlert

Jul 16, 2020

Will Ukraine’s new central bank chief be independent?

By David Clark

President Zelenskyy has appointed Kyrylo Shevchenko as Governor of Ukraine's National Bank but questions remain over whether the new NBU chief will be able to remain truly independent.

Democratic Transitions Economy & Business

UkraineAlert

Jul 15, 2020

New US sanctions block Putin’s pipeline despite Danish breakthrough

By Diane Francis

Russia has recently secured approval from Denmark to complete the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, but new US sanctions reflect America's resolve to make sure the strategically important project remains unfinished.

European Union Geopolitics & Energy Security

UkraineAlert

Jul 15, 2020

Toppling Lenin: The lessons of Ukraine’s memory wars

By Peter Dickinson

The Black Lives Matter movement has sparked a flurry of monument removals across the US and elsewhere. Independent Ukraine's long history of memory wars offers a timely case study in the politics of the past.

Democratic Transitions Nationalism

UkraineAlert

Jul 14, 2020

Russo-Ukrainian War: Kremlin denials prevent progress towards peace

By Oleksandr Merezhko

Almost six years have passed since the Minsk Agreements were first signed. However, there is still fundamental disagreement over the parties to these agreements and the obligations they are under.

Conflict Peacekeeping and Peacebuilding

UkraineAlert

Jul 13, 2020

East Ukraine’s European roots and the myths of Putin’s Russian World

By Alvydas Medalinskas

Moscow has sought to justify the war in eastern Ukraine by claiming it historically belongs within the "Russian World", but this ignores the region's deep Ukrainian roots and cosmopolitan heritage.

Conflict Disinformation

UkraineAlert

Jul 10, 2020

Central bank chief’s political ouster discredits Ukraine

By Anders Åslund

In June, Ukraine secured a vital new IMF program. Continued National Bank of Ukraine independence was a key condition. However, within weeks, NBU chief Yakiv Smolii resigned citing political pressure.

Economy & Business International Financial Institutions

UkraineAlert

Jul 9, 2020

Coronavirus chaos reigns at front line checkpoints in Russian-occupied Ukraine

By Eric Fritz

A climate of confusion over coronavirus-related checkpoint crossing procedures is creating havoc and adding to the hardships of civilians living close to the front lines of the Russo-Ukrainian War.

Coronavirus Crisis Management

UkraineAlert

Jul 8, 2020

Containing the Kremlin: Why the West must rethink policy towards a revisionist Russia

By Oleksii Reznikov

After more than five years of deadlock in Russia-Ukraine peace talks, it is obvious that fresh approaches are needed in order to end the war on Europe’s eastern frontier and contain the Kremlin.

Conflict NATO Partnerships