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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

Jan 26, 2021

Russia’s Navalny protests provoke mixed emotions in Ukraine

By Peter Dickinson

Ukraine has good reasons to support the current Russian protests against Kremlin corruption, but many Ukrainians remain suspicious of protest leader Alexei Navalny's troubling nationalist background.

Conflict Corruption

UkraineAlert

Jan 22, 2021

Ukraine’s historic gas sector reforms are under threat

By Aura Sabadus

The transformation of Ukraine's gas sector is widely seen as one of the few reform success stories since the country's 2014 Revolution of Dignity, but recent political decisions are placing this progress in doubt.

Geopolitics & Energy Security Oil and Gas

UkraineAlert

Jan 20, 2021

US targets Putin’s pipelines from Baltic Sea to Balkans

By Diane Francis

Washington’s attention has recently focused on Nord Stream 2, but US officials also face similar challenges in Southern Europe, where Russia is once again using energy to advance its geopolitical interests.

Eastern Europe Geopolitics & Energy Security

UkraineAlert

Jan 20, 2021

Why Ukraine’s business community has high hopes for the Biden presidency

By Andy Hunder

Many Ukrainians are optimistic that incoming US President Joe Biden can play an historic role in helping Ukraine complete the country's post-Soviet transition and free itself once and for all from oligarch control.

Democratic Transitions Politics & Diplomacy

UkraineAlert

Jan 19, 2021

Ukraine’s cultural revival is a matter of national security

By Marina Pesenti

Culture and identity have been at the heart of the hybrid war waged by Russia against Ukraine for the past seven years.

Disinformation Nationalism

UkraineAlert

Jan 19, 2021

Russia’s Crimean crimes demand tougher sanctions

By Maria Tomak

Ukrainian civic society activists are calling on the international community to introduce personal sanctions against officials guilty of human rights abuses in Russian-occupied Crimea.

Civil Society Human Rights

UkraineAlert

Jan 19, 2021

Ukraine’s roadmap to an artificial intelligence future

By Vitaliy Goncharuk

Ukraine has recently adopted a National AI Development Strategy for the coming decade that aims to integrate artificial intelligence technologies into every sphere of the Ukrainian economy.

Defense Technologies Education

UkraineAlert

Jan 14, 2021

Putin’s war drives Ukraine towards true independence

By Peter Dickinson

Thirty years since the collapse of the USSR, Ukraine is no longer part of Vladimir Putin's informal empire but the country continues to struggle with the legacy of centuries spent under Russian domination.

Conflict Democratic Transitions

UkraineAlert

Jan 14, 2021

Ukraine raised the alarm over weaponized social media long before Trump’s twitter ban

By Victor Tregubov

Tech giant Twitter's decision to block the account of US President Donald Trump has sparked a global free speech debate, but Ukraine has been warning for years about the dangers of weaponized social media.

Media Non-Traditional Threats

UkraineAlert

Jan 12, 2021

Climate change may prevent Ukraine from becoming an agricultural superpower

By Anna Ackermann

Kyiv's record-breaking weather in 2020 was further evidence of a changing climate that threatens to undermine Ukraine's emergence as an agricultural superpower and key player in global food security.

Climate Change & Climate Action Ukraine

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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 European Union

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

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