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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 18, 2022

Disarming Russia’s energy weapon: Ukraine begins electricity exports to Moldova

By Aura Sabadus

Less than two months after synchronizing with the European electricity grid, Ukraine has begun energy exports to neighboring Moldova in a move that is likely to further dent Russia’s grip over the region.

Conflict Energy Markets & Governance

UkraineAlert

May 17, 2022

Vladimir Putin is running out of options to avoid defeat in Ukraine

By Taras Kuzio

Vladimir Putin expected a quick victory in Ukraine but now finds himself facing a catastrophic defeat that will shatter Russia's pretensions to military superpower status while threatening Putin's own authoritarian regime.

Conflict Crisis Management

UkraineAlert

May 16, 2022

Ukraine War Diary: Everyday life is slowly returning to Fortress Kyiv

By Vitaly Sych

Ukraine War Diary: A semblance of normality is returning to life in the capital but Kyiv remains a fortress city where a strong military presence and an absence of children serve as constant reminders that the country is at war.

Civil Society Conflict

UkraineAlert

May 15, 2022

Will Putin use chemical weapons in Ukraine?

By Ben Connable

Fears are mounting that Vladimir Putin may seek to save his failing Ukraine invasion by deploying chemical weapons, but there are reasons to believe that the Russian army is not capable of biological warfare.

Arms Control Conflict

UkraineAlert

May 15, 2022

Western advocates of appeasement need a crash course in Putinology

By Anders Åslund

The war in Ukraine has exposed the fundamental failure of international audiences to appreciate the true nature of modern Russia. Western advocates of appeasement clearly need a crash course in Putinology.

Conflict Disinformation

UkraineAlert

May 14, 2022

Ukraine wins Eurovision as European voters show song contest solidarity

By Peter Dickinson

Ukraine's Eurovision victory is a soft power success story that underlines the country's dominance over Russia on the information front while highlighting the strength of international solidary and support for Ukraine.

Conflict Europe & Eurasia

UkraineAlert

May 12, 2022

Independent Ukraine’s first president Leonid Kravchuk dies aged 88

By Peter Dickinson

Ukraine’s first post-Soviet president Leonid Kravchuk passed away on May 10. He is best remembered for his leading role in the 1991 Ukrainian Declaration of Independence and the collapse of the Soviet Union.

Conflict Democratic Transitions

UkraineAlert

May 12, 2022

Putin’s Imperial War: Russia unveils plans to annex southern Ukraine

By Peter Dickinson

Kremlin officials have underlined the expansionist imperial agenda driving Putin's Ukraine war by announcing plans to officially annex Ukraine's Kherson Oblast and incorporate it into the Russian Federation.

Civil Society Conflict

UkraineAlert

May 11, 2022

Kazakhstan cancels Victory Day in protest over Putin’s Ukraine War

By Wilder Alejandro Sánchez, Kamila Auyezova

Kazakhstan's recent decision to cancel the country's annual WWII Victory Day parade was a small but significant indication of Nur-Sultan's opposition to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Central Asia Conflict

UkraineAlert

May 8, 2022

Vladimir Putin’s WWII victory cult is a recipe for international aggression

By Andrej Lushnycky

Vladimir Putin has transformed Russia's traditional Victory Day commemorations marking the defeat of Nazi Germany into a nationalistic celebration of militarism that helps justify Moscow's war of aggression in Ukraine.

Civil Society Conflict

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UkraineAlert

Jun 25, 2021

British warship challenges Russian claims to Crimea

By Peter Dickinson

A British warship sailed through Crimean waters on June 23 in what was widely seen as a reminder that the international community rejects Russia’s purported 2014 annexation of the Ukrainian peninsula.

Conflict Maritime Security

UkraineAlert

Jun 24, 2021

Putin blames anyone but himself for loss of Ukraine

By Peter Dickinson

Russian President Vladimir Putin recently published an op-ed accusing the US of staging an anti-Russian coup in Ukraine, but in reality nobody has done more to erode Russian influence in Ukraine than Putin himself.

Conflict Disinformation

UkraineAlert

Jun 24, 2021

Ukraine offers hope in an increasingly homophobic neighborhood

By Adrian Hoefer, Shelby Magid

While Ukrainian attitudes towards the LGBTQI community are still far behind the levels of acceptance encountered elsewhere in the West, Ukraine’s modest progress offers hope in a region where intolerance is on the rise.

Civil Society Human Rights

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