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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

May 13, 2021

Putin’s Ukraine War: EU warns Russia is “de facto integrating” occupied east

By Peter Dickinson

The European Union has warned that Russia is seeking to “de facto integrate” the Kremlin-controlled separatist republics of east Ukraine. The EU raised the alarm in a note to member states, Bloomberg reported on May 12.

Conflict European Union

UkraineAlert

May 13, 2021

A new vision for Ukraine’s Prosecution Service

By Iryna Venediktova

Since Ukraine regained independence in 1991, successive attempts to reform the country’s prosecution service have met with only limited success. Efforts are now underway to change this disappointing picture.

Democratic Transitions Human Rights

UkraineAlert

May 11, 2021

Blinken Kyiv visit analysis: What next for US-Ukraine ties?

By Peter Dickinson

What can US Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s recent visit to Kyiv tell us about the current state and future prospects for bilateral relations between America and Ukraine?

Corruption Democratic Transitions

UkraineAlert

May 11, 2021

The only way to deter Putin is to arm Ukraine

By Yelyzaveta Yasko

Vladimir Putin continues to menace Ukraine with border region troop buildups and the threat of a major escalation in the seven-year war between the two countries. The best way for the West to deter Russia is to arm Ukraine.

Conflict Russia

UkraineAlert

May 10, 2021

Is Ukraine about to cut the Gordian knot of judicial reform?

By John Lough

Under pressure from its international partners, the Zelenskyy administration is again pushing to overhaul the procedures for appointing members of Ukraine’s 21-member High Council of Justice.

Democratic Transitions Political Reform

UkraineAlert

May 6, 2021

Blinken in Kyiv: US “stands strongly” with Ukraine

By Peter Dickinson

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken was in Kyiv on May 6 for a high-profile visit as Ukraine continues to face the threat of a major Russian escalation in the simmering seven-year war between the two countries.

Conflict Russia

UkraineAlert

May 6, 2021

Naftogaz fiasco risks undermining Ukraine

By Alan Riley and Suriya Jayanti

The recent decision to suspend the Naftogaz Supervisory Board and fire CEO Andriy Kobolyev risks undermining Ukraine’s security and exposing the country to greater dependence on Russian gas.

Geopolitics & Energy Security Russia

UkraineAlert

May 6, 2021

Ukraine’s inaccessible cities

By Iryna Ozymok

Ukraine's cities remain highly inaccessible for people with physical disabilities or limited mobility, but a growing number of civil society initiatives are helping to boost efforts to improve accessibility.

Civil Society Inclusive Growth

UkraineAlert

May 4, 2021

US should grant Ukraine Major Non-NATO Ally status

By Oleksiy Goncharenko

As the Western world formulates its response to Russia's recent saber-rattling on the Ukrainian border, one option would be for the United States to grant Ukraine the status of Major Non-NATO Ally.

Conflict Russia

UkraineAlert

May 4, 2021

US support for Ukraine should be tied to reform progress

By Henrik Larsen

The Western world voiced strong support for Ukraine during the recent bout of Russian saber-rattling, but the most effective way to counter Kremlin aggression may actually be by supporting stalled Ukrainian reform efforts.

Corruption Democratic Transitions

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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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UkraineAlert

Oct 22, 2020

City-by-city guide to Ukraine’s local elections

By Brian Mefford

Ukrainians will vote in local elections on October 25. Brian Mefford offers a city-by-city guide to the mayoral races across the country and predicts who is likely to win in each of Ukraine's major cities.

Elections Ukraine

UkraineAlert

Oct 21, 2020

Russian revival in Ukraine: Pro-Kremlin parties tipped to advance in local elections

By Mykola Vorobiov

Ukrainians vote in local elections this weekend. With President Zelenskyy’s ratings in decline, many see the ballot as an opportunity for Ukraine’s pro-Russian forces to regain the political initiative.

Elections Ukraine

UkraineAlert

Oct 20, 2020

Battle for borshch: Ukraine lays claim to soup dish amid identity war with Russia

By Mark Raczkiewycz

Popular soup dish borshch has recently emerged as the latest battleground in Ukraine’s struggle to assert an independent national identity and shake off centuries of Russian imperial domination.

Conflict Disinformation

UkraineAlert

Oct 20, 2020

Time for Europe to rethink the Trans-Balkan pipeline

By Sergey Makagon

A strategic asset with a transit capacity of 27 bcm per year, the Trans-Balkan gas corridor can and should be a guarantee of energy security for Southeastern Europe. It is time for the EU to rethink its approach.

European Union Geopolitics & Energy Security

UkraineAlert

Oct 17, 2020

NBU Governor: Ukraine’s robust banking sector is poised for privatizations

By Kyrylo Shevchenko

The Ukrainian banking sector has passed the coronavirus test and proven that it has never been in more robust shape. This bodes well for a series of planned privatizations of state-owned banks.

Coronavirus Economy & Business

UkraineAlert

Oct 14, 2020

Political pressure threatens Ukraine’s gas sector reforms

By Aura Sabadus

The early October resignation of American citizen Amos Hochstein from the Naftogaz supervisory board is sparking alarm over the future direction of the state-owned Ukrainian energy sector giant.

Energy Markets & Governance Energy Transitions

UkraineAlert

Oct 13, 2020

Ukraine’s pro-Russian forces plotting winter of discontent

By Bohdan Nahaylo

With President Zelenskyy's party set to do badly in Ukraine's October 25 local elections, the country's oligarchic and pro-Russian forces are hoping to regain the political momentum with a winter of discontent.

Democratic Transitions Elections

UkraineAlert

Oct 13, 2020

Britain and Ukraine unveil new strategic partnership

By Bate C Toms

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s recent state visit to the UK was the most consequential foreign relations act of his presidency to date and saw the unveiling of a new strategic partnership.

Cybersecurity Maritime Security

UkraineAlert

Oct 13, 2020

Putin’s pipeline is a strategic weapon. It must be stopped

By Members of the Ukrainian parliament

As the struggle over the Kremlin's Nord Stream 2 pipeline continues, a group of Ukrainian MPs has issued a joint letter highlighting the international security threat posed by the strategic energy project.

European Union Geopolitics & Energy Security

UkraineAlert

Oct 12, 2020

UK and Ukraine sign historic post-Brexit free trade deal

By Vasyl Myroshnychenko

The jury is still out on the economic impact of Brexit, but Ukraine emerged in early October as an unlikely early beneficiary of Britain’s EU exit by signing a landmark partnership agreement including free trade.

Economy & Business Trade and tariffs