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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

Apr 10, 2020

Breadbasket Ukraine must not prohibit grain exports

By Anders Åslund

Ukrainian policymakers are reportedly discussing the prohibition of grain exports. This could have a disastrous impact on the economy while also damaging ties with Ukraine's international partners.

International Financial Institutions Trade and tariffs

UkraineAlert

Apr 8, 2020

Beyond east versus west: Ukraine must go global

By Viktor Karvatskyy

The coronavirus crisis is a globally disruptive event that gives Ukraine an opportunity to rethink the country's geopolitical trajectory and move beyond the traditional foreign policy of east versus west.

Politics & Diplomacy Ukraine

UkraineAlert

Apr 8, 2020

Russian-occupied eastern Ukraine is a ticking coronavirus time bomb

By Mark Temnycky

With poor medical facilities, limited quarantine measures, and a large pension-age population, Russian-occupied eastern Ukraine has the potential to become a major coronavirus hotspot.

Coronavirus Russia

UkraineAlert

Apr 8, 2020

Ukraine lacks leadership as coronavirus crisis escalates

By Volodymyr Dubovyk

Ukraine is ill-prepared for a major coronavirus outbreak but the country has wasted precious weeks engaging in political drama as the scale of the pandemic threat become increasingly apparent.

Coronavirus Political Reform

UkraineAlert

Apr 6, 2020

Коронавірусна криза відкриває можливість закінчити війну в Україні

By Уільям Б. Тейлор, Стівен Пайфер & Джон Хербст

Цю статтю було вперше опубліковано на NPR Усі три автори є колишніми послами США в Україні. Уільям Б. Тейлор є віце-президентом з питань стратегічної стабільності та безпеки в Американському інституті миру (United States Institute of Peace). Стівен Пайфер є старшим науковим співробітником програми ім. Уільяма Перрі в Стенфордському університеті. Джон Хербст є директором Євразійського центру […]

Conflict Coronavirus

UkraineAlert

Apr 6, 2020

Коронавирусный кризис открывает возможность закончить войну в Украине

By Уильям Б. Тейлор, Стивен Пайфер & Джон Хербст

Эта статья впервые была опубликована на NPR Все три автора — бывшие послы США в Украине. Уильям Б. Тейлор — вице-президент по вопросам стратегической стабильности и безопасности в Американском институте мира (United States Institute of Peace). Стивен Пайфер — старший научный сотрудник программы им. Уильяма Перри в Стэнфордском университете. Джон Хербст — директор Евразийского центра “Атлантического совета”. На фоне […]

Conflict Coronavirus

UkraineAlert

Apr 4, 2020

Ukraine adds political drama to coronavirus crisis

By Brian Mefford

Ukraine experienced a month of political turbulence in March 2020 as the country grappled with cabinet reshuffles amid an escalating coronavirus crisis. Who emerged as the political winners and losers?

Coronavirus Democratic Transitions

UkraineAlert

Apr 4, 2020

Coronavirus crisis could spark authoritarian revival

By Oleksiy Goncharenko

The Western world has been particularly hard hit by the coronavirus crisis while non-democratic regimes claim to have acted more decisively. Will the pandemic lead to greater support for authoritarian approaches?

Coronavirus Eastern Europe

UkraineAlert

Apr 2, 2020

Ukrainian local authorities move online to beat coronavirus lockdown

By Michael Druckman

With Ukraine under coronavirus lockdown, legislation has been rushed through allowing local authorities to operate online. The move is being greeted as another step in the right direction for Ukraine's fledgling democracy.

Coronavirus Democratic Transitions

UkraineAlert

Apr 2, 2020

Will coronavirus cuts kill off Ukraine’s post-Maidan cultural renaissance?

By Marina Pesenti

Ukraine is preparing major budget cuts to cultural institutions as part of efforts to fund the fight against coronavirus. This threatens to reverse the progress in the cultural sphere achieved since 2014.

Coronavirus Resilience & Society

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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.

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

May 24, 2020

Ukraine’s showbiz president shuns mainstream media

By Tetiana Gaiduk

Volodymyr Zelenskyy won the Ukrainian presidency with a campaign that positioned him as an everyman alternative to the country's discredited political elite, but a lack of media engagement now risks undermining his democratic credentials.

Democratic Transitions Internet

UkraineAlert

May 21, 2020

Russo-Ukrainian War: Zelenskyy unable to find path to peace with Putin

By Peter Dickinson

President Zelenskyy’s talk of a new approach to peace with Russia proved hugely attractive to the war-weary Ukrainian public in 2019. However, one year on, there is very little to show for this initial optimism.

Conflict Russia

UkraineAlert

May 21, 2020

Ukraine’s novice president may yet live up to the hype

By Tetiana Popova

Ukraine's President Zelenskyy has struggled to match the sky high expectations that accompanied his historic 2019 election win, but he has done enough during his first year to suggest he may yet live up to the hype, says Tetiana Popova.

Crisis Management Democratic Transitions

UkraineAlert

May 20, 2020

Ukraine’s road agency head: Vast infrastructure upgrade continues despite pandemic

By Oleksandr Kubrakov

The coronavirus crisis is creating huge challenges for the global economy and Ukraine is no exception. Nevertheless, the most ambitious construction undertaking in independent Ukraine’s history remains very much on track.

Coronavirus Economy & Business

UkraineAlert

May 20, 2020

Walking a tight rope, one year of Zelenskyy’s foreign policy

By Adair Appleton

One year ago, Zelenskyy promised to make Ukraine rich, slay corruption, and bring peace to eastern Ukraine. Skeptics will say that his moves amounted to nothing, but others are impressed that he’s putting in the work.

Conflict Defense Policy

UkraineAlert

May 18, 2020

Zelenskyy’s first year: New beginning or false dawn?

By Steven Pifer

Volodymyr Zelenskyy generated a wave of optimism when he became Ukraine’s sixth president on May 20, 2019. One year on, it is not clear whether his presidency will prove to be genuinely transformational or just another false dawn.

Democratic Transitions Ukraine

UkraineAlert

May 18, 2020

Ukrainians reject modern Russia’s WWII victory cult as geopolitical divide deepens

By Victor Tregubov

A nationwide survey conducted on the eve of this year's WWII anniversary events found that a clear majority of Ukrainians now blame the USSR together with the Nazis for sparking the Second World War.

Conflict Democratic Transitions

UkraineAlert

May 17, 2020

From Stalin to Putin: The Crimean Tatars face a new era of Kremlin persecution

By Polina Sadovskaya and Veronika Pfeilschifter

As the Crimean Tatar community marks the seventy-sixth anniversary of their Soviet deportation, an entire generation faces the prospect of another year living in terror at home in Russian-occupied Crimea or forced into exile.

Conflict Human Rights

UkraineAlert

May 15, 2020

Why I’m optimistic Georgia’s reforms can change Ukraine

By Mikheil Saakashvili

Former Georgian president Mikheil Saakashvili explains why he believes his experience reforming Georgia can help Ukraine accomplish its own post-Soviet transition towards European prosperity.

Democratic Transitions Political Reform

UkraineAlert

May 13, 2020

US still determined to block Putin’s pet pipeline project

By Diane Francis

Vladimir Putin hasn’t given up on his grand strategy to dominate European gas markets but the US remains committed to preventing Russia from completing the strategically vital Nord Stream 2 pipeline to Germany.

Eastern Europe Geopolitics & Energy Security