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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 24, 2023

Leopard tank saga: Germany remains haunted by history

By Bohdan Vitvitsky

Germany’s reluctance to send Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine reflects the ongoing influence of war guilt for the crimes of the Nazi era while also highlighting a failure to differentiate between modern Russia and the Soviet Union.

Conflict
Defense Industry

UkraineAlert

Jan 18, 2023

Putin’s nuclear blackmail must not prevent the liberation of Crimea

By Andriy Zagorodnyuk

Putin’s nuclear threats have led some analysts to argue against attempts to liberate Crimea but bowing down to the Russian dictator’s nuclear blackmail would have dire consequences for global security, writes Andriy Zagorodnyuk.

Conflict
European Union

UkraineAlert

Jan 17, 2023

How Europe can help Ukraine defeat Russia and win the peace in 2023

By Andreas Umland

Continued European support for Ukraine will be crucial in 2023 and must feature a combination of intensification and innovation if Vladimir Putin’s invasion is to be decisively defeated, writes Andreas Umland.

Conflict
Economic Sanctions

UkraineAlert

Jan 17, 2023

Resisting Russia one artwork at a time

By Melinda Haring, Jacob Heilbrunn

“Women at War,” a new US exhibition featuring a variety of works by twelve female Ukrainian artists, is a symbol of defiance to the Kremlin’s latest attempt to expunge Ukraine’s heritage.

Civil Society
Conflict

UkraineAlert

Jan 16, 2023

Equity for Ukraine

By Ira Straus

Excessive Western caution in the supply of weapons to Ukraine is costing Ukrainian lives and fueling Russian impunity while preventing meaningful progress toward peace, writes Ira Straus.

Conflict
European Union

UkraineAlert

Jan 13, 2023

Ukraine struggles to repair power grid as Russian airstrikes continue

By Suriya Evans-Pritchard Jayanti

Efforts to repair damage to Ukraine’s electricity system caused by Russia’s strategic bombing campaign are being hampered by a shortage of critical transformers, writes Suriya Evans-Pritchard Jayanti.

Conflict
Drones

UkraineAlert

Jan 12, 2023

The West reaps multiple benefits from backing Ukraine against Russia

By Taras Kuzio

Ukraine is often viewed as being heavily reliant on Western support but the relationship is mutually beneficial and provides the West with enhanced security along with valuable intelligence, writes Taras Kuzio.

Conflict
Cybersecurity

UkraineAlert

Jan 12, 2023

Post-war Ukraine needs a smart digital transformation strategy

By Anatoly Motkin

The war with Russia is far from over but it is important to begin looking ahead and setting the stage for Ukraine’s post-war digital transformation, writes StrategEast Center president Anatoly Motkin.

Civil Society
Conflict

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

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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

Mar 4, 2020

Ze end?

By Melinda Haring

What’s even clearer is that the tragedy of Ukraine’s politics goes on. And on. Everyone knows how to fix Ukraine, but no one actually does it.

Democratic Transitions
Ukraine

UkraineAlert

Mar 3, 2020

Post-Merkel Germany: What can Ukraine expect?

By Mattia Nelles

The race is on to succeed Angela Merkel as Germany's political leader, with three candidates competing in a CDU party leadership contest. What could the outcome mean for German policy towards Ukraine and Russia?

Germany
Politics & Diplomacy

UkraineAlert

Mar 3, 2020

Germany and Poland compete for Ukrainian migrant workers

By Alexander Khrebet

New German labor laws introduced in March 2020 make it easier for Ukrainians to be employed in the country. This is sparking fears in Ukraine—and Poland—that we may soon see a new wave of Ukrainian economic migration.

Germany
Migration

UkraineAlert

Mar 2, 2020

US should revive Lend-Lease to contain Russia

By Stephen Blank

The Western world has repeatedly been caught out by each new phase of Vladimir Putin's hybrid war. Could a new Lend-Lease program for Central and Eastern Europe allow the West to regain the initiative from the Kremlin?

Central Europe
Conflict

UkraineAlert

Feb 27, 2020

The lesson of Crimea: Appeasement never works

By Oleksiy Goncharenko

The international community's weak response to Vladimir Putin's 2014 seizure of Crimea was a watershed moment for global security but attempts to appease Russia continue despite six subsequent years of hybrid warfare.

Conflict
Non-Traditional Threats

UkraineAlert

Feb 26, 2020

Is Zelenskyy preparing for a thaw in Russia-Ukraine ties?

By Diane Francis

The appointment of Andriy Yermak as President Zelenskyy's new chief of staff has sparked debate over Yermak's ties to Moscow and links to pro-Russian Ukrainian politicians. Is Zelenskyy preparing for a thaw in ties with the Kremlin?

Conflict
Peacekeeping and Peacebuilding

UkraineAlert

Feb 26, 2020

Ten steps to boost Ukraine’s economic growth in 2020

By Andy Hunder

Ukraine has achieved macroeconomic stability. It is now time to demonstrate accelerated growth. This can only be achieved by boosting Foreign Direct Investment. Andy Hunder outlines 10 steps towards achieve this goal.

Economy & Business
Ukraine

UkraineAlert

Feb 24, 2020

Why Azov should not be designated a foreign terrorist organization

By Anton Shekhovtsov

The authors of a recent New York Times op-ed produce no clear proof of ongoing links between American right-wing terrorists and a unit within Ukraine’s Interior Ministry.

Civil Society
Conflict

UkraineAlert

Feb 20, 2020

Russia loses leverage as Ukrainian exports go global

By Anders Åslund

Russia was once Ukraine's all-dominant trading partner but six years of undeclared war between the two countries has dramatically reduced bilateral trade while forcing Ukrainian exporters to broaden their horizons.

Russia
Trade and tariffs

UkraineAlert

Feb 19, 2020

The case for high state salaries in Europe’s poorest country

By Peter Dickinson

As the top manager of a flagship state-owned Ukrainian company, Ukrposhta CEO Igor Smelyansky has been publicly vilified for his high salary - but he argues that competitive incomes are the only way to beat institutionalized corruption.

Corruption
Populism