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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

Oct 31, 2023

Attempted airport pogrom highlights rising antisemitism in Putin’s Russia

By Joshua Stein

An attempted pogrom in southern Russia’s Republic of Dagestan has sent shock waves around the world and raised serious questions about the rising tide of antisemitism in Putin’s Russia, writes Joshua Stein.

Conflict
Disinformation

UkraineAlert

Oct 26, 2023

Arming Ukraine is cheap compared to the far higher price of Russian victory

By Peter Dickinson

Anyone concerned by the cost of supporting the Ukrainian war effort should consider the far higher price the Western world would have to pay in order to stop Putin following a Russian victory in Ukraine, writes Peter Dickinson.

Conflict
Defense Industry

UkraineAlert

Oct 24, 2023

Ukraine’s EU membership bid set to receive big boost in November

By Peter Dickinson

The European Commission is expected to give Ukraine the green light to begin EU accession talks in early November, marking a significant step forward in the country’s European integration ambitions, writes Peter Dickinson.

Conflict
Democratic Transitions

UkraineAlert

Oct 24, 2023

Battle of Avdiivka: Putin’s new offensive continues despite heavy Russian losses

By Olivia Yanchik

Russia has returned to the offensive in Ukraine in recent weeks with a major assault on the town of Avdiivka. The Russian offensive continues despite reports of catastrophic losses, underlining Putin’s determination to secure victory at any price in Ukraine, writes Olivia Yanchik.

Conflict
Defense Policy

UkraineAlert

Oct 23, 2023

Alsu Kurmasheva arrest: Russia has detained two US journalists this year

By Mercedes Sapuppo

The Russian authorities have detained Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty journalist Alsu Kurmasheva for failing to register as a foreign agent, making her the second US journalist to be jailed in Russia so far this year.

Conflict
Freedom and Prosperity

UkraineAlert

Oct 23, 2023

Lend-Lease Act expiration will not affect current US aid to Ukraine

By Olivia Yanchik

A Lend-Lease Act introduced by the US in spring 2022 to support Ukraine’s fight against Russian aggression has now expired, but it may be worth renewing as a tool to bypass possible political obstacles to aid, writes Olivia Yanchik.

Defense Industry
Defense Policy

UkraineAlert

Oct 19, 2023

Ukraine needs electoral reform now for resilient postwar elections

By Peter Erben, Gio Kobakhidze

Prioritizing electoral reform now will position Ukraine for postwar democratic resilience and will underscore the nation’s dedication to sustaining and improving its democratic traditions, even in the face of great adversity.

Conflict
Democratic Transitions

UkraineAlert

Oct 19, 2023

Zelenskyy should say a Churchillian “no” to wartime elections in Ukraine

By Alan Riley

If Winston Churchill were still with us, he would surely be advising Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to ignore mounting international pressure to call elections in wartime Ukraine, writes Alan Riley.

Civil Society
Conflict

UkraineAlert

Oct 19, 2023

War risk insurance can contribute to Ukrainian victory over Putin’s Russia

By Yulia Svyrydenko

War risk insurance can play a key role in helping Ukraine to achieve victory on the economic front of the war with Russia, writes Ukraine’s First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy Yulia Svyrydenko.

Conflict
Economy & Business

UkraineAlert

Oct 17, 2023

Ukraine receives potentially game-changing long-range US missiles

By Peter Dickinson

Ukraine has finally received long-range ATACMS missiles from the United States and has begun deploying them against Russian targets, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced on October 17.

Conflict
Defense Industry

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.

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Content

UkraineAlert

Jun 16, 2020

NATO upgrades Ukraine

By Peter Dickinson

NATO recognized Ukraine as an Enhanced Opportunities Partner on June 12 in a status upgrade that reflected deepening cooperation and boosted Ukraine's Euro-Atlantic integration ambitions.

Europe & Eurasia
NATO

UkraineAlert

Jun 15, 2020

Zelenskyy keeps Ukraine on Euro-Atlantic course set by predecessor Poroshenko

By Oleksiy Goncharenko

Ukraine's President Zelenskyy has been highly critical of his predecessor Petro Poroshenko, but the ongoing war with Russia mean Zelenskyy has little option but to maintain Poroshenko's policies of Euro-Atlantic integration.

Conflict
Democratic Transitions

UkraineAlert

Jun 12, 2020

Mission accomplished? Vakarchuk quits but his political party lives on

By Melinda Haring

Ukrainian rock legend Slava Vakarchuk has resigned as an MP less than one year after leading his reformist party into parliament for the first time. He claims it is "mission accomplished" - but will his party survive?

Democratic Transitions
Ukraine

UkraineAlert

Jun 10, 2020

Ukraine’s $7 billion Russian gas transit deal at risk amid claims of political pressure

By Aura Sabadus

Alleged political pressure targeting Ukraine's recently unbundled gas transmission system operator GTSO is threatening to undo Ukraine's energy sector reforms and derail a multi-billion dollar transit contract with Russia's Gazprom.

Corruption
Energy Markets & Governance

UkraineAlert

Jun 10, 2020

Ukraine’s worst move yet

By Alan Riley

The Ministry of Finance “dismissed” Walter Boltz, the chair of the Ukrainian gas transmission system operator MGU. If that independence is undermined, Gazprom may pull the transit contract and with it the guaranteed fees that Ukraine needs.

Economy & Business
Geopolitics & Energy Security

UkraineAlert

Jun 10, 2020

IMF finally confirms new $5 billion program for Ukraine

By Anders Åslund

Ukraine's new $5 billion IMF program unleashes at least $2 billion of additional financing. This means Ukraine can feel quite safe regarding its external financial needs for 2020.

Coronavirus
Crisis Management

UkraineAlert

Jun 9, 2020

Crimea could become an expensive liability for Putin

By Andreas Umland

The annexation of Crimea is proving expensive for the Kremlin. With Russia now facing an economic crisis fueled by the coronavirus pandemic and falling global energy prices, Putin's crowning glory may become a political liability.

Conflict
Coronavirus

UkraineAlert

Jun 9, 2020

Minsk deadlock: West must reject Russian bid to limit Ukrainian sovereignty

By Duncan Allan

The Minsk agreements remain the only existing framework for ending the war in eastern Ukraine, but they rest on two irreconcilable interpretations: is Ukraine sovereign, as Ukrainians insist, or should its sovereignty be limited, as Russia demands?

Conflict
Peacekeeping and Peacebuilding

UkraineAlert

Jun 9, 2020

Farcical Putin referendum confirms Russia-Ukraine geopolitical divorce

By Victor Tregubov

Russia’s farcical Putin referendum in many ways confirms the country’s geopolitical divorce from democratic Ukraine and underlines the growing distance between two countries that were once widely seen as virtually indivisible.

Democratic Transitions
Russia

UkraineAlert

Jun 4, 2020

Ukraine needs a whole new approach to labor migration

By Lesia Dubenko

Millions of Ukrainians have sought employment abroad since 2014, creating one of the largest labor migrations in modern European history. This process is now reviving, creating new challenges for Ukraine.

Coronavirus
Economy & Business