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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

Reform-minded Russian industrialists can help the US contain Vladimir Putin

UkraineAlert Sep 30, 2025

Putin’s dream of demilitarizing Ukraine has turned into his worst nightmare

By Peter Dickinson

Putin had hoped to demilitarize and decapitate the Ukrainian state, but his self-defeating invasion has inadvertently created the militarily powerful and fiercely independent Ukraine he feared most of all, writes Peter Dickinson.
Conflict Defense Technologies
Reform-minded Russian industrialists can help the US contain Vladimir Putin

UkraineAlert Oct 2, 2025

Drone superpower Ukraine is teaching NATO how to defend against Russia

By David Kirichenko

Ukraine’s unrivaled experience of drone warfare makes it a key partner for NATO and an indispensable ally in the defense of Europe as the continent faces up to the mounting threat posed by an expansionist Russia, writes David Kirichenko.
Conflict Defense Technologies
Reform-minded Russian industrialists can help the US contain Vladimir Putin

UkraineAlert Oct 14, 2025

Russian strikes on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure are a European problem

By Aura Sabadus

Russia’s strikes on Ukrainian energy infrastructure are no longer just a Ukrainian problem. Moscow’s bombing campaign will become a wider European issue unless more support is offered to Kyiv, writes Aura Sabadus.
Conflict Drones

Latest analysis

UkraineAlert

May 6, 2021

Blinken in Kyiv: US “stands strongly” with Ukraine

By Peter Dickinson

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken was in Kyiv on May 6 for a high-profile visit as Ukraine continues to face the threat of a major Russian escalation in the simmering seven-year war between the two countries.

Conflict
Russia

UkraineAlert

May 6, 2021

Naftogaz fiasco risks undermining Ukraine

By Alan Riley and Suriya Jayanti

The recent decision to suspend the Naftogaz Supervisory Board and fire CEO Andriy Kobolyev risks undermining Ukraine’s security and exposing the country to greater dependence on Russian gas.

Geopolitics & Energy Security
Russia

UkraineAlert

May 6, 2021

Ukraine’s inaccessible cities

By Iryna Ozymok

Ukraine’s cities remain highly inaccessible for people with physical disabilities or limited mobility, but a growing number of civil society initiatives are helping to boost efforts to improve accessibility.

Civil Society
Inclusive Growth

UkraineAlert

May 4, 2021

US should grant Ukraine Major Non-NATO Ally status

By Oleksiy Goncharenko

As the Western world formulates its response to Russia’s recent saber-rattling on the Ukrainian border, one option would be for the United States to grant Ukraine the status of Major Non-NATO Ally.

Conflict
Russia

UkraineAlert

May 4, 2021

US support for Ukraine should be tied to reform progress

By Henrik Larsen

The Western world voiced strong support for Ukraine during the recent bout of Russian saber-rattling, but the most effective way to counter Kremlin aggression may actually be by supporting stalled Ukrainian reform efforts.

Corruption
Democratic Transitions

UkraineAlert

Apr 29, 2021

Energy sanctions can prevent a new Russian offensive in Ukraine

By Ariel Cohen and David Pasmanik

Expanding US sanctions policy to target Russia’s energy industry remains one of the most powerful remaining tools available to the democratic world as it seeks to deter further Russian aggression in Ukraine.

Conflict
Economic Sanctions

UkraineAlert

Apr 28, 2021

Dismissal of Naftogaz CEO raises doubts over Ukraine’s corporate governance reforms

By Aura Sabadus

The Ukrainian government has dismissed Naftogaz CEO Andriy Kobolyev and the company’s supervisory board, raising serious questions over corporate governance reforms at the country’s state-owned enterprises.

Oil and Gas
Political Reform

UkraineAlert

Apr 27, 2021

Putin’s imperialism turns neighbors into enemies

By Peter Dickinson

Putin has instructed Kremlin officials to draw up a list of “unfriendly countries.” Although the identity of these countries is unconfirmed, media reports suggest the list will be dominated by Russia’s neighbors.

Conflict
Eastern Europe

UkraineAlert

Apr 27, 2021

Ukraine must prepare for Putin’s next escalation now

By Vadym Denysenko, Ihor Popov, Ihor Tyshkevych, Ilya Kusa

Russian President Vladimir Putin recently ordered the withdrawal of Russian forces from positions close to the Ukrainian border, but this saber-rattling display highlights the need for Ukraine to prepare for the worst.

Conflict
National Security

UkraineAlert

Apr 26, 2021

Battle over Putin’s pipeline continues in Washington DC

By Diane Francis

The Nord Stream 2 pipeline issue must be addressed by US officials as a priority. Time is running out. The Russians hope to finish the pipeline by June, thereby putting pressure on Germany to make it operational.

European Union
Geopolitics & Energy Security
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spotlight

Resilience in the face of adversity

Ukraine’s transformation

Ukraine has moved tentatively toward an open society and market economy since independence. The country has held several democratic elections and made halting progress in addressing corruption and state control in its economy. Since the 2014 Maidan Revolution, Ukraine has undertaken significant governance and economic reform and moved decisively toward a Europe-Atlantic foreign policy. Since 2022, Ukraine has resiliently continued to advance some reforms despite fighting for its very existence against the full-scale Russian invasion.

Learn more about Ukraine
Reform-minded Russian industrialists can help the US contain Vladimir Putin

UkraineAlert Dec 5, 2024

Ukraine’s entrepreneurial class can drive the country’s economic recovery

The Ukrainian SME sector has demonstrated remarkable wartime resilience and is poised to be at the forefront of efforts to create a modern, innovative, postwar economy, writes Anton Waschuk.

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Reform-minded Russian industrialists can help the US contain Vladimir Putin

UkraineAlert Oct 1, 2024

Ukraine needs international investors to maintain defense tech momentum

By Mykhailo Fedorov

Ukraine’s rapidly expanding defense tech sector can play a game-changing role in the war against Russia but Ukrainian companies need international investment, writes Ukraine’s Minister for Digital Transformation Mykhailo Fedorov.
Artificial Intelligence Conflict
Reform-minded Russian industrialists can help the US contain Vladimir Putin

UkraineAlert Jun 13, 2024

Ukraine officially embraces English as historic westward pivot continues

By Oleksiy Goncharenko

By officially embracing English, Ukrainians aim to support their country’s historic pivot away from Moscow and return to the European community of nations, writes Oleksiy Goncharenko.
Civil Society Conflict

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

Oct 29, 2020

Reform-minded Russian industrialists can help the US contain Vladimir Putin

By Stephen Blank

Independent and reform-minded Russian industrialists are potentially important allies for the United States and other Western powers as they seek to push back against Vladimir Putin's foreign policy adventurism.

Oil and Gas
Russia

UkraineAlert

Oct 29, 2020

Kremlin memory wars and the search for a unifying Ukrainian national identity

By Olesya Khromeychuk

Ukraine's post-Soviet quest for an inclusive national identity capable of uniting the country has had to contend with memory wars fueled by domestic political rivalries and renewed Russian imperial ambitions.

Conflict
Disinformation

UkraineAlert

Oct 25, 2020

Ukrainian local elections: Zelenskyy fairytale is over

By Anders Åslund

Ukraine's October 25 local elections served as a vote of no confidence in President Zelenskyy's ruling Servant of the People party and reflected a deep sense of disillusionment with all national political parties.

Democratic Transitions
Elections

UkraineAlert

Oct 24, 2020

Ukraine’s gas market reforms can fuel change across Eastern Europe

By Aura Sabadus

Ukraine’s post-2014 energy sector experience is both a success story and a role model. It is also proving increasingly persuasive in a neighborhood where energy sector reform is long overdue.

Eastern Europe
Energy Markets & Governance

UkraineAlert

Oct 22, 2020

US expands sanctions against Putin’s pipeline

By Diane Francis

US officials have this week announced more constraints on the controversial Nord Stream 2 pipeline project and put firms still involved on notice that they have 30 days to wind down operations.

European Union
Geopolitics & Energy Security

UkraineAlert

Oct 22, 2020

City-by-city guide to Ukraine’s local elections

By Brian Mefford

Ukrainians will vote in local elections on October 25. Brian Mefford offers a city-by-city guide to the mayoral races across the country and predicts who is likely to win in each of Ukraine's major cities.

Elections
Ukraine

UkraineAlert

Oct 21, 2020

Russian revival in Ukraine: Pro-Kremlin parties tipped to advance in local elections

By Mykola Vorobiov

Ukrainians vote in local elections this weekend. With President Zelenskyy’s ratings in decline, many see the ballot as an opportunity for Ukraine’s pro-Russian forces to regain the political initiative.

Elections
Ukraine

UkraineAlert

Oct 20, 2020

Battle for borshch: Ukraine lays claim to soup dish amid identity war with Russia

By Mark Raczkiewycz

Popular soup dish borshch has recently emerged as the latest battleground in Ukraine’s struggle to assert an independent national identity and shake off centuries of Russian imperial domination.

Conflict
Disinformation

UkraineAlert

Oct 20, 2020

Time for Europe to rethink the Trans-Balkan pipeline

By Sergey Makagon

A strategic asset with a transit capacity of 27 bcm per year, the Trans-Balkan gas corridor can and should be a guarantee of energy security for Southeastern Europe. It is time for the EU to rethink its approach.

European Union
Geopolitics & Energy Security

UkraineAlert

Oct 17, 2020

NBU Governor: Ukraine’s robust banking sector is poised for privatizations

By Kyrylo Shevchenko

The Ukrainian banking sector has passed the coronavirus test and proven that it has never been in more robust shape. This bodes well for a series of planned privatizations of state-owned banks.

Coronavirus
Economy & Business
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