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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

May 21, 2026

As Russian losses mount in Ukraine, Putin seeks more foreign fighters

By Marc Goedemans, Katherine Spencer

With no end in sight to the invasion of Ukraine, Putin is looking to recruit more foreign fighters to counter heavy Russian losses while avoiding a politically risky mobilization, write Marc Goedemans and Katherine Spencer.

Africa Central Asia

UkraineAlert

May 19, 2026

From Moscow to Crimea, Ukraine is winning the drone war against Russia

By David Kirichenko

As Russia’s full-scale invasion enters a fifth summer, it is becoming increasingly apparent that the tide in the drone war has turned in Ukraine’s favor, writes David Kirichenko.

Conflict Defense Industry

UkraineAlert

May 19, 2026

Ukraine’s experience can teach Europe how to defend against Russia

By Valeriya Ionan, Nicolas Dunais

Ukraine's wartime transformation should inform European defense modernization in both technology and doctrine. Europe must now choose: Seize the opportunity to adapt or procrastinate and risk future defeat, write Valeriya Ionan and Nicolas Dunais.

Conflict Defense Industry

UkraineAlert

May 14, 2026

Putin’s parade projected weakness but he is now more dangerous than ever

By Maksym Beznosiuk, William Dixon

While the Kremlin dictator is clearly in a weakened position, a diminished Vladimir Putin could be more dangerous than ever, write Maksym Beznosiuk and William Dixon.

Conflict Drones

UkraineAlert

May 14, 2026

Zelenskyy raises alarm over Russia’s escalating ‘human safari’ in Ukraine

By Oleksandr Tolokonnikov

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has raised the alarm over Russia’s escalating “human safari” tactics targeting the civilian population in southern Ukraine’s Kherson region, writes Oleksandr Tolokonnikov.

Conflict Drones

UkraineAlert

May 14, 2026

Bulgaria is unlikely to become Putin’s new proxy within the European Union

By Kristian Kafozov

Newly elected Bulgarian Prime Minister Rumen Radev is unlikely to replace recently ousted Hungarian leader Viktor Orban as Vladimir Putin's proxy within the EU and NATO, writes Kristian Kafozov.

Conflict Defense Policy

UkraineAlert

May 12, 2026

Ukrainian long-range drones are turning Russia’s size into a weakness

By Peter Dickinson

Ukraine is waging a strategic bombing campaign of deep strikes across the Russian Federation that aims to exploit Russia's colossal size and transform it from a key strength into a fatal weakness, writes Peter Dickinson.

Conflict Defense Technologies

UkraineAlert

May 12, 2026

EU targets Kyrgyzstan as Brussels seeks to prevent Russian sanctions evasion

By Marc Goedemans

The latest EU sanctions on Russia also featured measures against Kyrgyzstan. This was the first use of so-called anti-circumvention tools, which are designed to prevent third countries from helping the Kremlin bypass restrictions over the invasion of Ukraine, writes Marc Goedemans.

Central Asia Conflict

UkraineAlert

May 7, 2026

Putin is dragging Belarus deeper into Russia’s Ukraine invasion

By Hanna Liubakova

Belarus may not currently be poised to join the invasion of Ukraine, but Vladimir Putin is clearly intent on dragging the country deeper into Russia’s war effort, writes Hanna Liubakova.

Belarus Conflict

UkraineAlert

May 6, 2026

Ukrainian battlefield gains expose Russia’s communications problems

By Miro Sedlák

Ukraine has demonstrated in recent months that it is capable of exploiting weaknesses in Russia’s front line defenses. Kyiv’s allies should now seek to prioritize the tools that will identify and exacerbate these weak points, writes Miro Sedlák.

Conflict Cybersecurity

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Content

UkraineAlert

Jan 26, 2021

Resetting Ukraine’s reforms

By Olena Halushka

Since the 2014 Revolution of Dignity, Ukraine has embarked on an historic reform process that has produced decidedly mixed results. A reset may now help get the country's transformation back on track.

Corruption Democratic Transitions

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