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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 7, 2021

Ukraine rules out a return to Minsk peace talks as Putin tightens his grip on Belarus

By Vladislav Davidzon

Ukraine has ruled out a return to peace talks in Minsk due to growing Russian influence over Belarus as the Kremlin capitalizes on the international isolation of Belarusian dictator Alyaksandr Lukashenka.

Belarus Conflict

UkraineAlert

Apr 6, 2021

Ukraine fails vaccine test

By Brian Mefford

Ukraine currently ranks among Europe's worst performers in terms of Covid vaccinations. The shortage of vaccines in the country is fueling mounting anger over the Ukrainian government's handling of the pandemic.

Coronavirus Ukraine

UkraineAlert

Apr 6, 2021

Upgrading Ukraine’s Air Force could deter Russia

By Stephen Blank

Reinforcing Ukraine's Air Force would be a powerful way to deter Russian aggression against Ukraine and indicate to Moscow that the Western world will no longer tolerate Russian military adventurism in Eastern Europe.

Conflict Russia

UkraineAlert

Apr 6, 2021

How to reform Ukrainian Railways

By Adomas Audickas

In order for Ukraine’s railway service to modernize, or even to survive in the long-term, the government needs to help reform UZ by changing tariffs, funding loss-making passenger operations, and cutting taxes.

Economy & Business Fiscal and Structural Reform

UkraineAlert

Apr 4, 2021

Is Putin about to launch a new offensive in Ukraine?

By Peter Dickinson

Russia has sparked alarm in recent days by massing its armed forces close to the Ukrainian border. The military build-up has raised fears of a dramatic escalation in the simmering seven-year conflict between the two countries.

Conflict Russia

UkraineAlert

Apr 1, 2021

How Putin made the international media his unwitting accomplices

By Peter Dickinson

Vladimir Putin's hybrid war against Ukraine relies heavily on deliberate disinformation and blanket denials. By prioritizing impartiality over accuracy, the international media has often played the role of unwitting accomplice.

Conflict Disinformation

UkraineAlert

Apr 1, 2021

Ukraine’s local authorities and the Covid-19 pandemic

By Iryna Ozymok

One year on since pandemic lockdown regulations were first introduced in Ukraine, have local authorities across the country learned the often tough lessons of the past twelve months?

Coronavirus Crisis Management

UkraineAlert

Mar 31, 2021

Ukraine’s unlikely new political heavyweight

By Adrian Karatnycky

Ukraine has an unlikely new political heavyweight. Oleksiy Danilov is Secretary of Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council. He has recently become Ukraine’s most compelling voice for reform.

Corruption Democratic Transitions

UkraineAlert

Mar 30, 2021

Why the Black Sea could emerge as the world’s next great energy battleground

By Aura Sabadus

The Black Sea has vast untapped oil and gas reserves along with enormous renewable energy possibilities. This makes it potentially one of the world's great energy battlegrounds in the decades ahead.

Eastern Europe Geopolitics & Energy Security

UkraineAlert

Mar 30, 2021

Putin plots Ukraine peace talks without Ukraine

By Peter Dickinson

Ukrainian diplomats have voiced alarm over Russian plans to hold Ukraine peace talks without Ukraine’s participation. The news has revived fears that Moscow aims to bypass Kyiv and reach agreement directly with the West over Ukraine’s geopolitical future.

Conflict France

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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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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

UkraineAlert

Apr 13, 2021

A pipeline deal could help end Putin’s Ukraine war

By Colin Cleary

The Russian-led conflict in eastern Ukraine and the construction of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline are the two most contentious issues on the Euro-Atlantic security agenda today. Linking the two could broaden the space for negotiation.

Conflict European Union

UkraineAlert

Apr 13, 2021

Ukraine’s cultural revival faces political challenges

By Kateryna Botanova

Efforts are underway in Ukraine to defend the independence and transparency of the Ukrainian Cultural Fund amid concerns in Ukrainian civil society that toxic political practices are making a comeback.

Civil Society Democratic Transitions

UkraineAlert

Apr 8, 2021

Ukraine’s digital revolution continues with enhanced legal status for e-passports

By Mykhailo Fedorov

On March 30, the Ukrainian parliament passed legislation that recognizes e-passports as official documents and provides them with the same legal status for domestic use as their more traditional paper cousins.

Digital Policy Internet