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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

Sep 10, 2026

Russia’s escalating bombing campaign is terrorizing Ukrainian schoolchildren

By Shelby Magid

Russia's escalating bombardment of Ukrainian cities is terrorizing a generation of Ukrainian schoolchildren who are being prevented from attending classes or forced to spend days in bomb shelters, writes Shelby Magid.

Civil Society Conflict

UkraineAlert

Sep 10, 2026

As Russia’s invasion falters, Putin boasts of imaginary victories

By Peter Dickinson

Putin was caught lying about imaginary Russian victories again in September. His habit of exaggerating battlefield gains reflects mounting unease over the credibility gap between the Kremlin’s superpower pretensions and his army’s underwhelming performance in Ukraine, writes Peter Dickinson.

Conflict Disinformation

UkraineAlert

Sep 8, 2026

Ukrainian drone strikes are disarming Russia’s energy weapon

By Ana Lejava

For years, Russia wielded its energy capacity as a weapon against its neighbors to manipulate, coerce, and control. Ukraine’s strategic bombing campaign is now turning this energy weapon against Moscow itself, writes Ana Lejava.

Central Asia Conflict

UkraineAlert

Sep 8, 2026

Putin welcomes Trump’s peace envoys but has no intention of ending the war

By Peter Dickinson

Trump’s envoys continue to discuss win-win scenarios, but Putin is playing a zero sum game. His invasion of Ukraine is not a land grab or a geopolitical real estate deal. It is an attempt to reverse the Soviet collapse and revive the Russian Empire, writes Peter Dickinson.

Conflict Disinformation

UkraineAlert

Sep 3, 2026

Putin cannot defeat NATO but he could divide and discredit the alliance

By Peter Dickinson

If Russian President Vladimir Putin decides to attack NATO, his goal will be to divide and discredit the alliance rather than actually defeating it, writes Peter Dickinson.

Conflict Defense Policy

UkraineAlert

Sep 3, 2026

Russia is trying to bully Europe into abandoning Ukraine

By Maksym Beznosiuk, Will Dixon

Russia is escalating its campaign of so-called “grey zone” aggression against Europe as Putin attempts to intimidate EU leaders and deter further support for Ukraine, write Maksym Beznosiuk and Will Dixon.

Conflict Drones

UkraineAlert

Sep 1, 2026

For Putin, the ‘root cause’ of the war is the existence of independent Ukraine

By Kateryna Odarchenko

Moscow claims to be ready for peace once the "root causes" of the Russia-Ukraine War are addressed, but Putin's demands confirm that he believes the "root cause" of the war is the existence of an independent Ukraine, writes Kateryna Odarchenko.

Conflict Disinformation

UkraineAlert

Sep 1, 2026

Europe should already start planning for a post-Lukashenka Belarus

By Viktar Baranau

There is nothing about today’s Belarus that suggests a country on the verge of change. Nevertheless, European policymakers would be well-advised to begin preparing for a post-Lukashenka Belarus now, in order to have a plan in place when the moment of transition arrives, writes Viktar Baranau.

Belarus Conflict

UkraineAlert

Aug 27, 2026

Ukrainians are not superheroes with endless powers of resilience

By Lauren Van Metre, Elena Davlikanova

By celebrating Ukrainian resilience as an almost superhuman quality, the international community risks obscuring the much less glamorous reality that Ukrainians are actually ordinary people who have endured extraordinary violence for far too long, write Lauren Van Metre and Elena Davlikanova.

Civil Society Conflict

UkraineAlert

Aug 27, 2026

Drone parade showcases Ukraine’s remarkable military transformation

By Mykola Bielieskov

Ukraine celebrated Independence Day this week with a novel military parade made up exclusively of unmanned systems, underlining the country’s emergence as a global leader in the field of drone warfare, writes Mykola Bielieskov.

Conflict Defense Industry

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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

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