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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

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

UkraineAlert Sep 30, 2025

Putin’s dream of demilitarizing Ukraine has turned into his worst nightmare

By Peter Dickinson

Putin had hoped to demilitarize and decapitate the Ukrainian state, but his self-defeating invasion has inadvertently created the militarily powerful and fiercely independent Ukraine he feared most of all, writes Peter Dickinson.
Conflict Defense Technologies
Playing for the enemy: The Ukrainian footballers who sign for Russian clubs

UkraineAlert Oct 2, 2025

Drone superpower Ukraine is teaching NATO how to defend against Russia

By David Kirichenko

Ukraine’s unrivaled experience of drone warfare makes it a key partner for NATO and an indispensable ally in the defense of Europe as the continent faces up to the mounting threat posed by an expansionist Russia, writes David Kirichenko.
Conflict Defense Technologies
Playing for the enemy: The Ukrainian footballers who sign for Russian clubs

UkraineAlert Oct 14, 2025

Russian strikes on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure are a European problem

By Aura Sabadus

Russia’s strikes on Ukrainian energy infrastructure are no longer just a Ukrainian problem. Moscow’s bombing campaign will become a wider European issue unless more support is offered to Kyiv, writes Aura Sabadus.
Conflict Drones

Latest analysis

UkraineAlert

Jun 7, 2023

Moldova needs an energy overhaul

By Suriya Evans-Pritchard Jayanti

If energy security is national security, then Moldova is one of the most vulnerable countries in the world and is in need of a comprehensive energy sector overall, writes Suriya Evans-Pritchard Jayanti.

Energy Markets & Governance
European Union

UkraineAlert

Jun 6, 2023

Is China preparing for a post-Putin Russia?

By Anders Åslund

Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin have famously proclaimed a “friendship without limits” but the Chinese leader may be looking to a post-Putin Russia and cultivating ties with Putin’s PM Mikhail Mishustin, writes Anders Åslund.

China
Conflict

UkraineAlert

Jun 6, 2023

Ukraine’s summer counteroffensive is a key moment but long-term resolve remains crucial

By Tennyson Dearing

Ukraine’s summer counteroffensive is an important moment in the war with Russia but it is critical to maintain a sense of perspective and underline the need for long-term Western backing, writes Tennyson Dearing.

Conflict
Freedom and Prosperity

UkraineAlert

Jun 1, 2023

The fight against courtroom corruption continues in wartime Ukraine

By Olena Halushka

Despite the existential challenges created by Russia’s full-scale invasion, Ukraine continues to make progress toward the reform of the country’s deeply discredited judicial system, writes Olena Halushka.

Civil Society
Conflict

UkraineAlert

May 30, 2023

Ukraine’s Diia platform sets the global gold standard for e-government

By Anatoly Motkin

Ukraine’s Diia app is widely seen as the world’s first next-generation e-government platform, and is credited with implementing what many see as a more human-centric government service model, writes Anatoly Motkin.

Civil Society
Conflict

UkraineAlert

May 30, 2023

Russia’s new reality: Less Peter the Great, more Putin the Pariah

By Peter Dickinson

The invasion of Ukraine has left Russia greatly diminished on the world stage and earned Putin a place in infamy alongside history’s greatest criminals. Instead of emulating Peter the Great, he has become Putin the Pariah, writes Peter Dickinson.

Conflict
Disinformation

UkraineAlert

May 27, 2023

Exploring the secrets of Ukraine’s successful wartime diplomacy

By Yuna Potomkina

Over the past 15 months, Ukraine has built an international coalition of partners prepared to arm the country against Russia’s invasion. This unprecedented diplomatic success offers important lessons, writes Yuna Potomkina.

Conflict
Defense Technologies

UkraineAlert

May 27, 2023

Ukraine must reduce role of state in the economy to boost EU integration

By David Clark

Ukraine has conducted a number of nationalizations as part of the war effort but the state should now be looking to reduce its role in the Ukrainian economy in order to advance the process of EU integration, writes David Clark.

Conflict
Corruption

UkraineAlert

May 25, 2023

Russian narratives ignore real reasons for Western support of Ukraine

By Richard Cashman

Russian attempts to explain away Western support for Ukraine with conspiracy theories and outdated arguments are falling flat as the democratic world continues to oppose Moscow’s invasion, writes Richard Cashman.

Conflict
Democratic Transitions

UkraineAlert

May 23, 2023

Belgorod raid sparks border alarm for Russia ahead of Ukrainian offensive

By Peter Dickinson

This week’s unprecedented cross-border raid into Russia’s Belgorod Oblast could be part of Ukrainian shaping operations designed to stretch the Russian military ahead of a coming counteroffensive, writes Peter Dickinson.

Conflict
Defense Policy
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spotlight

Resilience in the face of adversity

Ukraine’s transformation

Ukraine has moved tentatively toward an open society and market economy since independence. The country has held several democratic elections and made halting progress in addressing corruption and state control in its economy. Since the 2014 Maidan Revolution, Ukraine has undertaken significant governance and economic reform and moved decisively toward a Europe-Atlantic foreign policy. Since 2022, Ukraine has resiliently continued to advance some reforms despite fighting for its very existence against the full-scale Russian invasion.

Learn more about Ukraine
Playing for the enemy: The Ukrainian footballers who sign for Russian clubs

UkraineAlert Dec 5, 2024

Ukraine’s entrepreneurial class can drive the country’s economic recovery

The Ukrainian SME sector has demonstrated remarkable wartime resilience and is poised to be at the forefront of efforts to create a modern, innovative, postwar economy, writes Anton Waschuk.

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

UkraineAlert Oct 1, 2024

Ukraine needs international investors to maintain defense tech momentum

By Mykhailo Fedorov

Ukraine’s rapidly expanding defense tech sector can play a game-changing role in the war against Russia but Ukrainian companies need international investment, writes Ukraine’s Minister for Digital Transformation Mykhailo Fedorov.
Artificial Intelligence Conflict
Playing for the enemy: The Ukrainian footballers who sign for Russian clubs

UkraineAlert Jun 13, 2024

Ukraine officially embraces English as historic westward pivot continues

By Oleksiy Goncharenko

By officially embracing English, Ukrainians aim to support their country’s historic pivot away from Moscow and return to the European community of nations, writes Oleksiy Goncharenko.
Civil Society Conflict

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.

The Eurasia Center’s mission is to enhance transatlantic cooperation in promoting stability, democratic values, and prosperity in Eurasia, from Eastern Europe and Turkey in the West to the Caucasus, Russia, and Central Asia in the East.

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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

UkraineAlert

Jan 6, 2020

Ukraine’s underrated economy is poised for a strong 2020

By Anders Åslund

Ukraine's economy is currently in far better shape than many people realise. In order to build on the firm foundations laid by recent years of structural reforms, the process must now continue to include a comprehensive cleansing of the country's law enforcement architecture

Corruption
Economy & Business

UkraineAlert

Jan 4, 2020

Can frontline disengagements help Ukraine secure a lasting ceasefire with Putin?

By Vera Zimmerman

The path to peace in eastern Ukraine remains unclear, but localized troop withdrawals in recent months have led to renewed hopes of a reduction in the bloodshed. Can further disengegement pave the way for a lasting ceasefire?

Conflict
Peacekeeping and Peacebuilding

UkraineAlert

Jan 2, 2020

Russia set to escalate fight against Ukrainian Orthodox independence in 2020

By Khrystyna Karelska and Andreas Umland

Moscow's refusal to accept the January 2019 decision to grant Ukraine Orthodox independence has split the entire Orthodox world. The schism is likely to worsen in 2020 as Russia fights to prevent the loss of a crucial foothold within Ukrainian society.

Civil Society
Russia

UkraineAlert

Jan 2, 2020

Why we must talk to Russia

By Samuel Charap and Jeremy Shapiro

Right to reply: the Atlantic Council’s UkraineAlert recent published an article by Anders Aslund critical of the October 2019 RAND report “A Consensus Proposal for a Revised Regional Order in Post-Soviet Europe and Eurasia”. This article is a response to Aslund from two of the report’s authors.

Conflict
Politics & Diplomacy

UkraineAlert

Dec 26, 2019

Russia-Ukraine War: Is peace possible in 2020?

By Peter Dickinson

The Russia-Ukraine War enters its seventh year in 2020 with no sign of a compromise that could end the conflict. Could recent efforts to restart the peace process produce results during the coming twelve months?

Conflict
Politics & Diplomacy

UkraineAlert

Dec 24, 2019

Ukraine’s government must not undermine growing business optimism in 2020

By Andy Hunder

88% of Ukraine's American Chamber of Commerce member companies reported increased revenues in 2019. However, concerns remain that the Ukrainian authorities could yet spoil this positive picture during the coming year.

Corruption
Economy & Business
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