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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

Feb 21, 2022

Putin escalates his Ukraine war with recognition of separatist republics

By Peter Dickinson

Eight years since the invasion of Crimea, Putin struck another blow in his war against Ukrainian statehood on February 21 by recognizing the two separatist republics of east Ukraine as independent states.

Conflict
Disinformation

UkraineAlert

Feb 20, 2022

Putin’s self-defeating war has succeeded in uniting Ukrainians

By Lucy Minicozzi-Wheeland

Vladimir Putin’s eight-year war against Ukraine has had a profound impact on Ukrainian identity and done more for national unity than any other single factor since Ukraine regained independence three decades ago.

Civil Society
Conflict

UkraineAlert

Feb 19, 2022

NATO must seize the current strategic opportunity in the Black Sea

By Harlan Ullman

The Ukraine crisis has underlined the need for NATO to develop a coherent Black Sea Strategy that will allow the alliance to counter the growing regional threat posed by Vladimir Putin’s resurgent Russia.

Conflict
Maritime Security

UkraineAlert

Feb 19, 2022

Will there be a “Munich Moment” in the Russia-Ukraine crisis?

By Thomas S. Warrick

A full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine could yet be prevented via a “Munich moment” bringing together Vladimir Putin and Joe Biden to strike a last-minute geopolitical deal, writes Thomas Warrick.

Conflict
Financial Sanctions and Economic Coercion

UkraineAlert

Feb 18, 2022

Putin’s absurd genocide claims cannot hide his war crimes in Ukraine

By Olexander Scherba

Russian President Vladimir Putin likes to claim that an anti-Russian genocide is underway in Ukraine but in reality he is upset by the historical loss of influence suffered by representatives of the Russian state.

Conflict
Disinformation

UkraineAlert

Feb 17, 2022

What would constitute victory for Putin in his war with Ukraine?

By David Batashvili

In order to achieve his long-term foreign policy goal of subjugating a hostile Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin must militarily seize and occupy a large portion of what is the largest country wholly in Europe.

Conflict
National Security

UkraineAlert

Feb 16, 2022

Putin has seriously wounded Ukraine’s economy without firing a single shot

By Anders Åslund

Even without physically invading Ukraine, Vladimir Putin is already causing the country great economic losses. The West cannot stand by and watch this happen, explains Anders Åslund.

Conflict
Democratic Transitions

UkraineAlert

Feb 15, 2022

The view from Ukraine: What happens if war breaks out tomorrow?

By Vitaliy Deynega

Vitaliy Deynega says Ukraine has never been more united or able to defend itself and argues that Putin’s threatened invasion is a gesture of despair by an enemy who cannot accept he has already lost.

Civil Society
Conflict

UkraineAlert

Feb 14, 2022

Russia may dodge sanctions by using Putin proxies to invade Ukraine

By Pavlo Kukhta, Viktoria Podhorna, Mykyta Poturaev, Yehor Chernev

With Russia facing the possibility of crushing sanctions over the threatened invasion of Ukraine, Putin may prefer to deploy hybrid forces made up of regular Russian troops and mercenaries posing as Ukrainian separatists.

Conflict
Disinformation

UkraineAlert

Feb 11, 2022

Free trade and drones: Turkey and Ukraine strengthen strategic ties

By Christopher Isajiw

Ukraine’s President Zelenskyy welcomed Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to Kyiv in early February for a visit that underlined the deepening strategic partnership between the two Black Sea nations.

Conflict
Defense Industry

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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.

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.

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Content

UkraineAlert

Nov 22, 2020

How Ukraine’s Orange Revolution shaped twenty-first century geopolitics

By Peter Dickinson

Ukraine's 2004 Orange Revolution is often overlooked but it is worthy of more attention as one of the great geopolitical turning points of the early twenty-first century that set the stage for today's Cold War climate.

Conflict
Democratic Transitions

UkraineAlert

Nov 19, 2020

Taming Ukraine’s oligarchs

By Serhiy Verlanov

Serhiy Verlanov argues that until Ukraine has the political will to take on the country's all-powerful oligarchs, there is little chance of realizing the potential that has remained untapped since 1991.

Corruption
Democratic Transitions

UkraineAlert

Nov 19, 2020

Ukraine’s new privatization faces array of old obstacles

By Diane Francis

Ukraine's State Property Fund has revamped the country's privatization process and hopes to sell off hundreds of state-owned enterprises but faces opposition from those benefiting from corruption.

Corruption
Economy & Business

UkraineAlert

Nov 18, 2020

Mayoral races in Ukraine: City-by-city runoff preview

By Brian Mefford

Ukrainians will vote this weekend to elect mayors in a number of big cities across the country as the current local election cycle comes to a close with incumbents heavily favored to do well.

Elections
Ukraine

UkraineAlert

Nov 17, 2020

Ukraine can learn from Azerbaijan’s recent victory

By Taras Kuzio

Azerbaijan’s recent victory over Armenia offers some potentially important lessons for Ukraine, which is home to the most recent of the many little wars to erupt amid the ruins of the Soviet Empire.

Conflict
Security & Defense

UkraineAlert

Nov 16, 2020

Coronavirus crisis exposes Ukraine’s healthcare failures

By Brian Mefford

The secondary phase of Ukraine's landmark healthcare reforms is being neglected by the government as the country suffers from faltering leadership in the fight against the coronavirus crisis.

Coronavirus
Ukraine

UkraineAlert

Nov 14, 2020

What can Ukraine expect from a Biden presidency?

By Peter Dickinson

Joe Biden's US presidential election victory was welcomed by many Ukrainians who felt that bilateral ties had suffered during the Trump presidency despite continued bipartisan US support for Ukraine.

Conflict
Elections

UkraineAlert

Nov 13, 2020

Ukrainian local elections: City-by-city guide to this weekend’s runoff votes

By Brian Mefford

On November 15, Ukrainians will vote in mayoral runoff contests in six major cities in the second round of the country's local elections. Here is a rundown of what to expect from this Sunday's ballot.

Elections
Ukraine

UkraineAlert

Nov 12, 2020

Shevchenko silences critics: Ukraine’s finest ever player earns respect as a manager

By Mark Temnycky

Andriy Shevchenko is one of Ukraine's most celebrated footballers but few expected much when he was appointed as national team manager in 2016. Shevchenko has since proved his doubters wrong.

Ukraine

UkraineAlert

Nov 11, 2020

Putin’s Karabakh victory sparks alarm in Ukraine

By Anders Åslund

Russian President Vladimir Putin appears to have achieved a significant victory in Nagorno-Karabakh that promises to alter the geopolitical balance throughout the former Soviet space in his favor.

Conflict
Peacekeeping and Peacebuilding