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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

Feb 18, 2021

Ukraine adopts new and improved referendum law

By Alisa Shushkovska and Harald Jepsen

Ukraine's recently adopted National Referendum Law fulfills an election promise made by President Zelenskyy to give the people of Ukraine greater and more direct influence over national policies.

Democratic Transitions Elections

UkraineAlert

Feb 16, 2021

Putin the Poisoner

By Peter Dickinson

Putin the Poisoner: Russian President Vladimir Putin has adopted a poisonous approach to international politics in a bid to defend his own authoritarian regime by dividing, discrediting, and destabilizing the democratic world.

Disinformation European Union

UkraineAlert

Feb 16, 2021

Why is Ukraine still not in NATO?

By Dmytro Kuleba

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said recently that he'd like to ask US President Joe Biden, "Why is Ukraine still not in NATO?" Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba agrees that this question has never been more pertinent.

Conflict NATO

UkraineAlert

Feb 16, 2021

IMF puts Ukraine on pause over corruption concerns

By Anders Åslund

A recent IMF mission to Ukraine ended without reaching any decision on a new tranche. IMF concerns over Ukraine's anti-corruption efforts will increase the pressure on President Zelenskyy.

Corruption International Financial Institutions

UkraineAlert

Feb 11, 2021

Rising EU-Russia tensions are good news for Ukraine

By Oleksiy Goncharenko

European foreign policy chief Josep Borrell's disastrous recent visit to Moscow has sparked a crisis in Russia-EU relations that could end up being to Ukraine's advantage.

Conflict European Union

UkraineAlert

Feb 10, 2021

Covid crisis accelerates Ukraine’s digital revolution

By Mykhailo Fedorov

The unique challenges of the Covid crisis have helped to accelerate Ukraine's digital revolution, says the country's Minister of Digital Transformation Mykhailo Fedorov.

Coronavirus Digital Policy

UkraineAlert

Feb 9, 2021

Kremlin TV chief: Russia must annex east Ukraine

By Alvydas Medalinskas

Kremlin TV chief Margarita Simonyan called on Russia to annex eastern Ukraine's Donbas region during a recent high-profile forum that signaled an escalation in Moscow's seven-year hybrid war against Ukraine.

Conflict Disinformation

UkraineAlert

Feb 9, 2021

Ukraine signs vaccine deal but delays highlight urgent need for healthcare reform

By Pavlo Kovtoniuk

Ukraine has finally secured the country's first sizable COVID-19 vaccine contract, but the fact that this depended on the role of Britain's Crown Agents has underlined Ukraine's procurement dysfunction.

Coronavirus Corruption

UkraineAlert

Feb 7, 2021

Can Putin’s pet pipeline still be saved from sanctions?

By Diane Francis

Russia continues to defy US attempts to block the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, but with the new administration of President Biden committed to stopping the project, can it still be saved?

Geopolitics & Energy Security Russia

UkraineAlert

Feb 5, 2021

Analysis: Ukraine bans Kremlin-linked TV channels

By Peter Dickinson

President Zelenskyy shut down three Kremlin-linked TV channels on February 2 in a move portrayed as a major blow to Russia’s hybrid war against Ukraine. The step has sparked debate over the balance between national security and free speech.

Conflict Disinformation

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UkraineAlert

Nov 9, 2020

LGBTQ rights in Ukraine and the false dawn of Zelenskyy

By Bogdan Globa

Today’s Ukraine finds itself in an increasingly homophobic neighborhood with a president whose approach to LGBTQ issues has so far failed to match his liberal rhetoric on the subject.

Human Rights Resilience & Society

UkraineAlert

Nov 8, 2020

Why a Biden presidency is very good news for Ukraine

By Anders Åslund

After Joe Biden’s US presidential election victory was declared, President Zelenskyy was one of the first foreign leaders to congratulate him. He was wise to do so. Ukraine has much to gain from a Biden presidency, as does Zelenskyy personally.

Conflict Democratic Transitions

UkraineAlert

Nov 5, 2020

Ukraine caught between constitutional crisis and counter-revolution

By Mattia Nelles

Ukraine finds itself caught between a constitutional crisis and a counter-revolution after the country's Constitutional Court canceled key anti-corruption reforms passed following the 2014 Revolution of Dignity.

Corruption Democratic Transitions

UkraineAlert

Nov 4, 2020

Why war-torn east Ukraine votes for pro-Russian parties

By Mykhaylo Shtekel

Pro-Russian parties did well in eastern Ukraine during local elections on October 25 as Kremlin-friendly politicians continued to dominate the region despite six years of undeclared war with Moscow.

Conflict Elections

UkraineAlert

Nov 3, 2020

Ukrainian local election results reflect country’s decentralized democracy

By Michael Druckman

Ukraine's recent local elections were primarily a referendum on the quality of local governance in the country, and the result was a resounding vote of confidence in the existing municipal authorities.

Elections Ukraine

UkraineAlert

Nov 2, 2020

Winners and losers of Ukraine’s local elections

By Brian Mefford

Incumbent mayors emerged as the big winners of Ukraine's recent local elections with voters preferring familiar faces to rival candidates representing the country's major national political parties.

Elections Ukraine

UkraineAlert

Nov 1, 2020

Zelenskyy vows to thwart Kremlin counter-revolution

By Anders Åslund

A new ruling by Ukraine's Constitutional Court threatens to dismantle the entire anti-corruption framework established since 2014 and derail years of historic progress towards Euro-Atlantic integration.

Conflict Democratic Transitions

UkraineAlert

Oct 29, 2020

Reform-minded Russian industrialists can help the US contain Vladimir Putin

By Stephen Blank

Independent and reform-minded Russian industrialists are potentially important allies for the United States and other Western powers as they seek to push back against Vladimir Putin's foreign policy adventurism.

Oil and Gas Russia

UkraineAlert

Oct 29, 2020

Kremlin memory wars and the search for a unifying Ukrainian national identity

By Olesya Khromeychuk

Ukraine's post-Soviet quest for an inclusive national identity capable of uniting the country has had to contend with memory wars fueled by domestic political rivalries and renewed Russian imperial ambitions.

Conflict Disinformation

UkraineAlert

Oct 25, 2020

Ukrainian local elections: Zelenskyy fairytale is over

By Anders Åslund

Ukraine's October 25 local elections served as a vote of no confidence in President Zelenskyy's ruling Servant of the People party and reflected a deep sense of disillusionment with all national political parties.

Democratic Transitions Elections