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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.

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Latest analysis

UkraineAlert

Jul 8, 2025

Cautious optimism in Ukraine as Trump vows to send more weapons

By Peter Dickinson

Ukrainians have welcomed US President Donald Trump’s July 7 announcement that he intends to provide Ukraine with more weapons, but many remain deeply cynical over the longer term prospects for continued US support, writes Peter Dickinson.

Conflict Drones

UkraineAlert

Jul 8, 2025

Putin is winning the drone war as Russia overwhelms Ukraine’s defenses

By Maksym Beznosiuk

Russia is now winning the drone war against Ukraine thanks to a massive increase in domestic drone production and a series of technological upgrades, writes Maksym Beznosiuk. This is enabling Putin to dramatically escalate the bombardment of Ukrainian cities.

Conflict Defense Industry

UkraineAlert

Jul 2, 2025

Russia applauds US decision to halt key weapons deliveries to Ukraine

By Peter Dickinson

The Kremlin has cheered this week’s US decision to halt the delivery of crucial defensive weapons to Ukraine as Russia continues to pursue its maximalist goal of extinguishing Ukrainian statehood, writes Peter Dickinson.

Conflict Drones

UkraineAlert

Jul 2, 2025

Iran becomes the latest Russian ally to discover the limits of Kremlin support

By Elena Davlikanova

Iran has recently joined fellow Kremlin allies Armenia and Syria in discovering the limits of Russian support. Putin’s army is dangerously overextended in Ukraine and is in no position to embark on new military adventures, writes Elena Davlikanova.

Conflict Drones

UkraineAlert

Jul 2, 2025

Ukraine’s drone wall is Europe’s first line of defense against Russia

By David Kirichenko

Ukraine’s drone wall is rapidly emerging as Europe’s first line of defense against the mounting military threat posed by an expansionist Russia, writes David Kirichenko.

Conflict Defense Industry

UkraineAlert

Jul 1, 2025

Putin’s escalating air offensive is overwhelming Ukraine’s defenses

By Mykola Bielieskov

Russian aerial attacks on Ukrainian cities are expanding rapidly and killing growing numbers of civilians. Kyiv must urgently find technological solutions to defend against Putin’s escalating air offensive, writes Mykola Bielieskov.

Conflict Defense Industry

UkraineAlert

Jun 26, 2025

Putin cannot attend BRICS summit in Brazil as he fears arrest for war crimes

By Peter Dickinson

Russian President Vladimir Putin will not attend next week’s annual BRICS summit in Brazil as he fears possible arrest for war crimes committed during the invasion of Ukraine, writes Peter Dickinson.

Brazil Conflict

UkraineAlert

Jun 26, 2025

Russia’s persecution of the Crimean Tatars must not be forgotten

By Mercedes Sapuppo

Events will take place across Ukraine this week to mark Crimean Tatar Flag Day. However, there will be no celebrations in Crimea itself, writes Mercedes Sapuppo.

Conflict Human Rights

UkraineAlert

Jun 24, 2025

US secures release of Belarusian prisoners but pressure must continue

By Hanna Liubakova

The release of fourteen prominent Belarusian political prisoners last weekend is welcome news. But the 1172 who remain behind bars in Belarus deserve more than symbolic gestures from the West, writes Hanna Liubakova.

Belarus Conflict

UkraineAlert

Jun 24, 2025

North Korea is playing a key role in Russia’s war against Ukraine

By Olivia Yanchik

North Korea is playing an increasingly vital support role in Russia’s war against Ukraine. This includes providing the Kremlin with vast quantities of ammunition, ballistic missiles, and thousands of men, writes Olivia Yanchik.

Defense Industry Defense Technologies

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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

Jan 20, 2020

Is Belarus Putin’s next target?

By Diane Francis

Vladimir Putin has been turning up the pressure on Belarus in recent months as Moscow seeks to move forward with plans to merge the country into a so-called Union State with Russia, but Minsk is proving evasive. Will Belarus be the scene of Putin's next big foreign policy adventure?

Belarus Politics & Diplomacy

UkraineAlert

Jan 16, 2020

Startup culture in a frontline city

By Diane Francis

1991 Mariupol is a new startup hub located a stone's throw away from the frontlines of Ukraine's undeclared war with Russia. Can tech innovation create opportunities for young Ukrainians facing an uncertain future due to Kremlin aggression?

Education Technology & Innovation

Long Take

Jan 16, 2020

Think again

By John E. Herbst

In a recent National Interest article, George Beebe dismisses US policy on Ukraine as “steeped in illusions” and argues for a “sensible alternative.” It is a nice try, but what he comes up with does not pass muster.

Conflict NATO

UkraineAlert

Jan 15, 2020

Putin makes changes as Russia stagnates

By Michael Newton

With Putin’s presidential term set to end in 2024 and parliamentary elections to take place in late 2021, Medvedev’s resignation and Putin’s proposed changes come at a time when the Russian president is looking to secure a possibly uncertain political future.

Politics & Diplomacy Russia

UkraineAlert

Jan 15, 2020

Zelenskyy’s vision for Ukrainian national identity

By Bohdan Nahaylo

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s New Year 2020 address to the nation was a bold call for unity at a time of acute sensitivity towards issues of national identity - but is Ukraine ready to embrace diversity with country still facing an existential threat from ongoing Russian aggression?

Politics & Diplomacy Ukraine

UkraineAlert

Jan 13, 2020

Iran plane tragedy proves lessons of MH17 have not been learned

By Michael Bociurkiw

Amid the outpourings of anger and grief over the downing of a Ukrainian passenger plane by Iran, the disaster also raises troubling questions about aviation security and the apparent failure to learn from past tragedies of this nature such as the 2014 MH17 attack.

Conflict Iran

UkraineAlert

Jan 12, 2020

Playing for the enemy: The Ukrainian footballers who sign for Russian clubs

By Andrew Todos

Is it appropriate for Ukrainian footballers to play for Russian clubs at a time when the two countries are engaged in the sixth year of an undeclared war? This debate highlights the broader discussion over the nature of ties between the two historically and culturally intertwined post-Soviet nations.

Civil Society Politics & Diplomacy

UkraineAlert

Jan 9, 2020

President Zelenskyy’s New Year message misreads Ukraine’s patriotic progress

By Taras Kuzio

President Zelenskyy used his traditional New Year's Eve address to celebrate Ukrainian diversity but his attempt to downplay the importance of national symbols was not well-received by Ukrainians who feel increasingly self-confident about their national identity

Democratic Transitions Ukraine

UkraineAlert

Jan 9, 2020

Beyond the impeachment drama: Why Ukraine matters to America

By Mark Temnycky

The impeachment of President Donald Trump has thrust relations between the United States and Ukraine into the spotlight, but some in the United States have yet to appreciate the importance of bilateral ties for broader American interests on the global stage.

Conflict Politics & Diplomacy

UkraineAlert

Jan 9, 2020

Prisoner exchange lifts the veil on Russia’s hybrid war against Ukraine

By Adrian Karatnycky

Moscow's insistence on the inclusion of figures with no apparent relationship to the conflict in eastern Ukraine during a recent prisoner exchange has exposed the nationwide scale of Russia's hybrid hostilities against Ukraine.

Conflict Non-Traditional Threats