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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

Apr 22, 2021

Putin withdraws troops but Russo-Ukrainian War continues

By Peter Dickinson

Russia appears to have ended weeks of tension by ordering the withdrawal of troops concentrated on the Ukrainian border, but the seven-year Russo-Ukrainian War remains far from over.

Conflict
Russia

UkraineAlert

Apr 22, 2021

Ukraine moves closer to large-scale privatization breakthrough

By Dmytro Sennychenko

Ukraine is currently on the verge of a large-scale privatization program that could dramatically reduce the country’s vast portfolio of corrupt and under-performing state-owned enterprises.

Corruption
Economy & Business

UkraineAlert

Apr 22, 2021

Nord Stream 2 threat: Ukraine and EU neighbors must expand border infrastructure

By Aura Sabadus

Working with Ukraine now to expand capacities on the country’s borders with the EU, irrespective of the Nord Stream 2 project’s fate, should be a priority not only for Kyiv, but also for Europe as a whole.

European Union
Geopolitics & Energy Security

UkraineAlert

Apr 20, 2021

Ukraine’s nation-building journey and the legacy of the Euromaidan Revolution

By Sofiya Kominko

Ukrainian MPs recently passed a resolution recognizing the country’s 2013-14 Euromaidan Revolution as a “key moment” in Ukraine’s nation-building process, but the final verdict of history is still to come.

Civil Society
Democratic Transitions

UkraineAlert

Apr 20, 2021

Putin’s Ukraine War: Can the West prevent a new Russian offensive?

By Peter Dickinson

The West has responded to a major Russian military build-up on the Ukrainian border by voicing its support for Ukraine, but critics say the international community must do more to deter Vladimir Putin from a new offensive.

Conflict
Russia

UkraineAlert

Apr 15, 2021

Putin’s saber-rattling reflects Russian rage over the loss of Ukraine

By Peter Dickinson

Putin’s saber-rattling activities on the Ukrainian border reflect Moscow’s refusal to accept its declining influence in a country where Russia has been the dominant force for more than three centuries.

Conflict
Russia

UkraineAlert

Apr 15, 2021

Russian-language media: Can Ukraine compete with the Kremlin?

By Mitchell Polman

Putin’s hybrid war against Ukraine has relied heavily on disinformation and the weaponization of Russian-language media, but Ukraine remains best-placed among the former Soviet republics to lead the fight back.

Disinformation
Media

UkraineAlert

Apr 15, 2021

Corporate governance crisis continues at Ukraine’s state-owned enterprises

By Anders Åslund

Efforts to reform corporate governance at Ukraine’s many large state-owned enterprises are being hampered by a lack of political will and a desire to maintain lucrative corruption schemes.

Corruption
Democratic Transitions

BelarusAlert

Apr 14, 2021

Belarus is the new front in Putin’s war against Ukraine

By Brian Whitmore

Fears are growing that the rapidly expanding Russian military presence in Belarus will help transform the country into a new front in the Kremlin’s war against Ukraine.

Belarus
Conflict

UkraineAlert

Apr 13, 2021

Russian passports: Putin’s secret weapon in the war against Ukraine

By Peter Dickinson

Since 2019, Moscow has distributed hundreds of thousands of Russian passports to Ukrainians living the occupied east of the country. Kremlin officials are now vowing to defend these Russian citizens if necessary.

Conflict
Russia

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UkraineAlert

Oct 14, 2020

Political pressure threatens Ukraine’s gas sector reforms

By Aura Sabadus

The early October resignation of American citizen Amos Hochstein from the Naftogaz supervisory board is sparking alarm over the future direction of the state-owned Ukrainian energy sector giant.

Energy Markets & Governance
Energy Transitions

UkraineAlert

Oct 13, 2020

Ukraine’s pro-Russian forces plotting winter of discontent

By Bohdan Nahaylo

With President Zelenskyy's party set to do badly in Ukraine's October 25 local elections, the country's oligarchic and pro-Russian forces are hoping to regain the political momentum with a winter of discontent.

Democratic Transitions
Elections

UkraineAlert

Oct 13, 2020

Britain and Ukraine unveil new strategic partnership

By Bate C Toms

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s recent state visit to the UK was the most consequential foreign relations act of his presidency to date and saw the unveiling of a new strategic partnership.

Cybersecurity
Maritime Security

UkraineAlert

Oct 13, 2020

Putin’s pipeline is a strategic weapon. It must be stopped

By Members of the Ukrainian parliament

As the struggle over the Kremlin's Nord Stream 2 pipeline continues, a group of Ukrainian MPs has issued a joint letter highlighting the international security threat posed by the strategic energy project.

European Union
Geopolitics & Energy Security

UkraineAlert

Oct 12, 2020

UK and Ukraine sign historic post-Brexit free trade deal

By Vasyl Myroshnychenko

The jury is still out on the economic impact of Brexit, but Ukraine emerged in early October as an unlikely early beneficiary of Britain’s EU exit by signing a landmark partnership agreement including free trade.

Economy & Business
Trade and tariffs

UkraineAlert

Oct 12, 2020

Russo-Ukrainian War: Time for Zelenskyy to turn from populism to pragmatism

By Taras Kuzio

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy won election last year with populist promises of peace with Russia, but the realities of ongoing Kremlin aggression mean a more pragmatic approach is now necessary.

Conflict
Peacekeeping and Peacebuilding

UkraineAlert

Oct 8, 2020

Ukraine’s reforms in doubt as political climate changes

By Anders Åslund

A recent reprimand and public expression of no confidence in two key reformers at the National Bank of Ukraine highlights the changing political climate in the country as post-2014 reforms face reversal.

Democratic Transitions
Political Reform

UkraineAlert

Oct 8, 2020

Zelenskyy: Ukraine wants a step-by-step plan towards future EU membership

By Volodymyr Zelenskyy

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy offers a positive assessment of the 2020 EU-Ukraine Summit in Brussels and calls for the creation of a step-by-step plan towards Ukraine's future EU membership.

Democratic Transitions
Economy & Business

UkraineAlert

Oct 5, 2020

The case for sanctioning Ukraine’s anti-Western MPs

By Daria Kaleniuk

Many of Ukraine's most prominent anti-Western figures also have considerable business interests in the West. Anti-corruption activists accuse them of hypocrisy and say sanctions are justified.

Corruption
Non-Traditional Threats

UkraineAlert

Oct 1, 2020

Battle on the home front: Care for Ukraine’s veterans

By Lauren Van Metre

The situation faced by veterans in today’s Ukraine is not just a human-interest story. The reintegration of veterans must be a priority for Ukraine’s government, its allies, and its NATO partners.

Conflict
Human Rights