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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

Jan 10, 2023

Putin’s faltering Ukraine invasion exposes limits of Russian propaganda

By Victor Tregubov

Putin’s invasion of Ukraine was supposed to be a short and victorious war. Instead, it has transformed him into a pariah and shattered Russia’s reputation as a military superpower. How could he have got it so wrong?

Conflict Defense Policy

UkraineAlert

Jan 8, 2023

Ukraine’s nation-building progress spells doom for Putin’s Russian Empire

By Dennis Soltys

Many observers seek to blame Putin's Ukraine invasion on his imperial ambitions or Kremlin fears over NATO expansion, but in reality the war is a desperate Russian response to Ukraine's historic nation-building progress.

Civil Society Conflict

UkraineAlert

Jan 8, 2023

Rebuilding Ukraine the right way

By Stephen Blank

Ukraine's post-war reconstruction will be one of the largest international undertakings of the twenty-first century. The Ukrainian authorities must begin laying the foundations for future success before Putin is defeated.

Conflict Economy & Business

UkraineAlert

Jan 4, 2023

Ukraine’s growing veteran community will shape the country’s future

By Aleksander Cwalina, Benton Coblentz

Ukraine's rapidly expanding veteran community can make a major contribution to the country's post-war future but will require a range of support measures in order to reintegrate into civilian life successfully.

Civil Society Conflict

UkraineAlert

Jan 3, 2023

Putin is preparing for a long war

By Alexander Motyl

Vladimir Putin used his traditional New Year address on December 31 to mobilize the Russian public for a long war in Ukraine while warning that the West is intent on "destroying Russia," writes Alexander Motyl.

Conflict Disinformation

UkraineAlert

Jan 2, 2023

Digitalization and transparency are vital for Ukraine’s reconstruction

By Oleksandra Azarkhina

Ukraine's reconstruction will depend on digitalization and the recruitment of motivated personnel from the military, writes Deputy Minister for Communities, Territories, and Infrastructure Development Oleksandra Azarkhina.

Civil Society Conflict

UkraineAlert

Dec 26, 2022

Eight reasons for Ukrainian optimism in 2023

By Brian Mefford

Ukrainians have experienced an incredibly traumatic year but the country enters 2023 with reason for cautious optimism that Vladimir Putin's criminal invasion can be decisively defeated, writes Brian Mefford.

European Union NATO

UkraineAlert

Dec 25, 2022

Bakhmut: Fortress of freedom

By Andriy Yermak

Western support for Ukraine must remain strong in 2023 to prevent a Russian victory that would fuel a global authoritarian revival, warns the head of Ukraine's Office of the President, Andriy Yermak.

Conflict European Union

UkraineAlert

Dec 22, 2022

Will Putin force Belarus to join the Russian invasion of Ukraine?

By Alesia Rudnik

Vladimir Putin traveled to Minsk this week for the first time in three-and-a-half years, fueling speculation that he is seeking to pressure Belarus dictator Alyaksandr Lukashenka into joining the failing invasion of Ukraine.

Belarus Conflict

UkraineAlert

Dec 22, 2022

Ukraine must be given the tools to stop Vladimir Putin in 2023

By Kira Rudik

As we approach the start of a new year, it is vital that Ukraine’s Western partners demonstrate a long-term commitment to defeating Russia, writes Ukrainian MP and Holos Party leader Kira Rudik.

Conflict European Union

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UkraineAlert

Sep 15, 2020

Five predictions for Ukraine’s local elections

By Brian Mefford

Ukrainians go to the polls on October 25 to vote in local elections that promise to serve as the first major electoral test for President Zelenskyy since he and his party swept to power last year.

Elections Ukraine

UkraineAlert

Sep 15, 2020

Ukraine’s reforms remain hostage to corrupt courts

By Diane Francis

In 2019, political newcomer Volodymyr Zelenskyy and his party won historic election victories based largely on the appeal of promises to eradicate corruption. Just over one year later, these efforts are backsliding and in danger of ending entirely.

Corruption Democratic Transitions

UkraineAlert

Sep 10, 2020

Football fairytale: Ukrainian village team Kolos prepares to join Europa League elite

By Andrew Todos

Ukrainian village team Kolos Kovalivka are preparing to write a new chapter in what is one of the most romantic stories in modern football history when the club makes its Europa League debut in Greece.

Ukraine

UkraineAlert

Sep 10, 2020

Ukraine’s education sector reforms are under threat

By Liliia Hrynevych and Ivanna Kobernyk

Education sector reform is widely seen as one of the more successful transformations in Ukraine since the country’s 2014 Revolution of Dignity but this progress is now under threat amid a changing political climate.

Education Ukraine

BelarusAlert

Sep 8, 2020

Will Belarus follow Ukraine out of the Russian orbit?

By Taras Kuzio

By intervening in Belarus to prop up his fellow post-Soviet dictator Alyaksandr Lukashenka, Vladimir Putin risks repeating the mistakes made in Ukraine and fueling anti-Russian sentiment among Belarusians.

Belarus Conflict

UkraineAlert

Sep 6, 2020

Has Vladimir Putin poisoned his pet pipeline project?

By Diane Francis

Germany had long resisted US calls to abandon the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline project, but the poisoning of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny has now sparked a dramatic shift in German opinion.

Financial Sanctions and Economic Coercion Geopolitics & Energy Security

UkraineAlert

Sep 3, 2020

Ukraine quietly launches a gas market revolution

By Oleksandr Kharchenko

A gas market revolution has just taken place in Ukraine. This significant development has occurred without much fanfare, but it comes following five long years of intense political battles.

Energy Markets & Governance Oil and Gas

UkraineAlert

Sep 1, 2020

Pro-Kremlin MPs and oligarchs wage lawfare on Ukraine’s reform agenda

By Tetiana Shevchuk

Ukraine’s Constitutional Court has declared the 2015 appointment of Artem Sytnyk as director of the country’s National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) unconstitutional, placing the country's reform agenda in doubt.

Corruption Democratic Transitions

UkraineAlert

Aug 25, 2020

How Ukraine can go from brain drain to brain gain

By Anton Waschuk and Andriy Kamenetskyy

Highly skilled Ukrainians continue to leave the country in order to further their careers. Greater efforts are required to keep this key demographic in the country for the benefit of the wider Ukrainian economy.

Economy & Business Education

UkraineAlert

Aug 22, 2020

Top Ukrainian oligarch Ihor Kolomoiskiy faces growing international legal troubles

By Diane Francis

Ukrainian oligarch Ihor Kolomoiskiy is facing growing international legal troubles as a range of investigations into alleged corrupt practices at his former bank PrivatBank continue to gain momentum.

Corruption Financial Regulation