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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

Nov 15, 2021

Ukraine’s Anti-Oligarch Law: President Zelenskyy’s populist power grab?

By Kira Rudik

Ukraine’s anti-oligarch law is being trumpeted by President Zelenskyy’s supporters as a move to reduce the influence of Ukraine’s oligarch elite. However, it looks more like a populist ploy to strengthen presidential powers, writes Holos leader Kira Rudik.

Corruption
Media

UkraineAlert

Nov 11, 2021

Time to rediscover eastern Ukraine’s surprisingly cosmopolitan past

By Peter Dickinson

Moscow has long cultivated the myth of eastern Ukraine as an indivisible part of Russia’s ancestral heartlands but in reality the region has a surprisingly cosmopolitan past that makes a mockery of Kremlin propaganda claims.

Conflict
Disinformation

UkraineAlert

Nov 9, 2021

Nord Stream 2: Germany must listen to Ukrainian security concerns

By Olga Bielkova

Ukraine has requested a role in the German process to certify Nord Stream 2 amid fears in Kyiv that the pipeline could pave the wave for an escalation in ongoing Russian military aggression against Ukraine.

Conflict
Energy Markets & Governance

UkraineAlert

Nov 8, 2021

De-oligarchization of Ukraine is President Zelenskyy’s top priority

By Andriy Yermak

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s anti-oligarch agenda holds the key to Ukraine’s reform ambitions and is vital for the country’s future national security, argues presidential chief of staff Andriy Yermak.

Corruption
Democratic Transitions

UkraineAlert

Nov 6, 2021

Ukraine’s anti-oligarch law could make President Zelenskyy too powerful

By David Clark

President Zelenskyy has trumpeted the country’s new anti-oligarch law as a meaningful step towards curbing the power of Ukraine’s oligarch class, but critics fear it may actually make Zelenskyy himself too powerful.

Corruption
Democratic Transitions

UkraineAlert

Nov 6, 2021

Disarming Putin’s energy weapon: Ukraine must connect to EU grid

By Anders Åslund

With Vladimir Putin seeking to restrict energy supplies to Ukraine, it is increasingly clear that Kyiv must connect to the European electricity grid in order to reduce its vulnerability to Kremlin blackmail tactics.

Conflict
Energy & Environment

UkraineAlert

Nov 4, 2021

Ukraine faces energy crisis as Putin weaponizes gas and coal supplies

By Aura Sabadus

As the winter season draws closer, Ukraine faces a looming energy crisis on multiple fronts which could lead to domestic political instability and deepen the country’s dependence on Vladimir Putin’s Russia.

Conflict
Energy & Environment

UkraineAlert

Nov 4, 2021

Ukraine MPs fight back against fake Covid vaccination certificates

By Oleksandra Ustinova

As Ukraine grapples with a mounting Covid-19 death toll and low vaccination rates, the country’s MPs aim to adopt tougher regulations targeting the thriving Ukrainian black market for fake vaccination certificates.

Coronavirus
Corruption

UkraineAlert

Nov 2, 2021

Putin’s Ukraine War: Russian MP recalls efforts to push civil war myth

By Peter Dickinson

Russian MP Alexander Borodai’s frank recent comments about Russia’s responsibility for the war in Ukraine underline the current sense of impunity in Moscow and expose the absurdity of Russia’s ongoing denials.

Conflict
Disinformation

UkraineAlert

Nov 2, 2021

Ukraine’s dangerous Winter Olympic obsession

By Nicholas Bell, Lukas Straumann

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has declared his intention to bring the Winter Olympics to the country, but environmentalists fear the initiative will cause irreparable damage to some of the most valuable mountain ecosystems in Europe.

Climate Change & Climate Action
Energy & Environment

spotlight

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

Jul 28, 2020

Zelenskyy’s bad economics: Inflation and devaluation will not help Ukraine grow

By Anders Åslund

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s policymakers are causing concern by flirting with the dangerous idea that high inflation and substantial currency devaluation can boost economic growth.

Democratic Transitions
Economy & Business

UkraineAlert

Jul 27, 2020

“Mr. Jones” film exposes the fake news campaign behind Stalin’s Ukrainian genocide

By Serhii Plokhii

"Mr. Jones" is an important historical drama that sheds long overdue light on Stalin's man-made famine in 1930's Ukraine. The famine killed millions but remains relatively unknown among international audiences.

Disinformation
Politics & Diplomacy

UkraineAlert

Jul 24, 2020

Ukraine’s anti-corruption efforts go up in smoke

By Peter Dickinson

A July 23 arson attack on the home of leading Ukrainian anti-corruption activist Vitaliy Shabunin has sparked concerns over the country's continued commitment to reforms under President Zelenskyy.

Corruption
Democratic Transitions

UkraineAlert

Jul 22, 2020

Russia’s MH17 web of lies looks set to unravel in court

By Georgiy Kent

Ever since flight MH17 was shot down over eastern Ukraine in summer 2014, Russia has denied responsibility. However, international efforts to prove Moscow's guilt have gained momentum in 2020.

Conflict
Disinformation

UkraineAlert

Jul 22, 2020

How to win Ukraine’s long fight for good governance

By Anders Åslund

Ever since 1991, Ukraine has been described as a land of huge potential, but it remains among Europe's poorest nations. Can President Zelenskyy provide the good governance Ukraine requires to succeed?

Corruption
Democratic Transitions

UkraineAlert

Jul 21, 2020

Ukraine’s healthcare system is in critical condition again

By Judy Twigg

After a few years in remission, Ukraine’s health sector is in critical condition once again, with efforts underway to reverse the reform progress achieved in the sector since the 2014 Revolution of Dignity.

Democratic Transitions
Political Reform

BelarusAlert

Jul 20, 2020

Belarus presidential vote: Ukrainian MPs join calls for democratic breakthrough

By Oleksiy Goncharenko

The August 9 presidential election in Belarus promises to have major geopolitical ramifications for the entire region. A cross-party group of Ukrainian MPs has formed an association to support democracy in Belarus ahead of the vote.

Belarus
Democratic Transitions

UkraineAlert

Jul 20, 2020

Statelessness in Ukraine: New law offers fresh hope

By Eric Fritz and Kseniia Karahiaur

Almost thirty years since the collapse of the USSR, statelessness remains a significant issue in independent Ukraine, but new legislation aims to make it easier for residents to gain legal status.

Human Rights
International Norms

UkraineAlert

Jul 17, 2020

Israeli-Ukrainian artist offers window on late Soviet realities

By Jacob Heilbrunn

Artist Zoya Cherkassky stands for something permanent and enduring, drawing on the deep traditions that she encountered both in Ukraine and in Judaism.

Civil Society
Israel

UkraineAlert

Jul 16, 2020

Will Ukraine’s new central bank chief be independent?

By David Clark

President Zelenskyy has appointed Kyrylo Shevchenko as Governor of Ukraine's National Bank but questions remain over whether the new NBU chief will be able to remain truly independent.

Democratic Transitions
Economy & Business