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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

Nov 20, 2018

Moscow’s games backfire again and again

By Olexander Samarskyi

Russia is desperately trying to prevent the Ukrainian Orthodox Church from finally freeing itself from Moscow, and its tactics aren’t working.

Russia Ukraine

UkraineAlert

Nov 19, 2018

How the Kremlin Can Win Ukraine’s Elections

By Markian Kuzmowycz

As Ukraine’s 2019 elections approach, Moscow’s interests have come into greater focus. Despite the pro-European momentum delivered by the 2014 Euromaidan Revolution, parties more closely aligned with Moscow’s interests may see a more realistic path to power than is widely assumed.

Ukraine

UkraineAlert

Nov 15, 2018

How We are Exposing Foreign Interference in Ukraine’s Elections

By John E. Herbst

Western democracies are under threat from outside meddling, and Ukraine is the testing ground for this interference. Russian President Vladimir Putin’s persistent efforts to influence the domestic politics of his neighbors and countries well beyond Russia’s borders have posed enormous challenges in Europe and across the Atlantic.

Russia Ukraine

UkraineAlert

Nov 13, 2018

Why Are Ukraine’s Honest Judges Being Blocked from the Supreme Court and Anticorruption Court?

By Oleg Sukhov

After the 2013-2014 Euromaidan Revolution, hopes were high for the introduction of the rule of law in Ukraine. But five years later the demand for justice is still unfulfilled. Judges implicated in corruption and political cases have tended to be promoted, and those few known for their integrity and independence have been demoted and fired. […]

Ukraine

UkraineAlert

Nov 13, 2018

What a Little Girl and an Aging Pop Star Can Teach Us about Russian Propaganda

By Iuliia Mendel

Eight-year-old Nina never wanted to be a star on Russian state television. Nevertheless, the Kyiv native was the subject of a one-hour discussion on Russia’s First Channel, a popular national show. The topic was hot: a Ukrainian family wanted their daughter to be taught music in Ukrainian.

Russia Ukraine

UkraineAlert

Nov 12, 2018

A Counterintuitive Way Ukraine Can Impress the EU and Solve Its Own Migration Problem

By Andrej Novak and Andreas Umland

Ukrainians were granted the most residence permits of any non-EU nationals in the EU last year. Approximately 662,000 Ukrainians received such permission in 2017 alone. Ukrainians are now integrating into Europe at an annual number roughly equal to the population of Montenegro, an official EU accession candidate and new NATO member. For hundreds of thousands […]

Ukraine

UkraineAlert

Nov 8, 2018

Three Things Ukraine Must Do Now If It Wants Clean Elections Next Year

By Brian Mefford

The parliament renewed Ukraine’s highest election body, the Central Election Commission, ahead of the crucial 2019 general elections.

Ukraine

UkraineAlert

Nov 8, 2018

Russia’s Dangerous New Front in Ukraine

By Vera Zimmerman

In response to Russia’s aggressive actions in the Sea of Azov, Ukraine has gone on high alert to boost its coastal defense positions and build up its naval presence. Since April 2018, under the pretext of protecting its illegally constructed Kerch Bridge and fighting what it calls Ukraine’s “state piracy,” Russia has been brazenly conducting […]

Russia Ukraine

UkraineAlert

Nov 6, 2018

Q&A: Is This What It Looks Like to Be an Activist in Ukraine Today?

By Melinda Haring

On November 4, 33-year-old anticorruption activist Kateryna Handzyuk died from injuries caused by an acid attack. Handzyuk had been attacked three months earlier outside of her home in Kherson, Ukraine, and had undergone eleven surgeries to recover from the burns. Since 2017, at least 55 activists, journalists, and one opposition politician have been attacked. UkraineAlert […]

Ukraine

UkraineAlert

Nov 6, 2018

Ukraine’s Language Bill Misses the Point

By Josh Cohen

Media outlets everywhere face challenges ranging from shrinking advertising budgets to getting consumers to pay for content. In Ukraine, however, they may soon face a different kind of challenge. A draft law currently being considered by Ukraine’s parliament would require all media published in other languages to produce an identical Ukrainian version both online and […]

Ukraine

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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

Mar 31, 2020

Zelenskyy resurrects his reformist credentials as coronavirus crisis looms

By Anders Åslund

March 30 was a big day for Ukraine with major changes in parliament that reversed the anti-reform backlash underway in the country since March 4 and provided President Zelenskyy with fresh political momentum as the coronavirus crisis escalates.

Coronavirus Democratic Transitions

UkraineAlert

Mar 31, 2020

Q&A: Where is President Zelenskyy leading Ukraine?

By Adair Appleton and Adrian Hoefer

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's surprise decision to dismiss his reformist government in early March raised fundamental questions over the future direction of the country. Atlantic Council experts explore what it could mean for Ukraine.

Democratic Transitions Ukraine

UkraineAlert

Mar 30, 2020

Two historic votes for Ukraine

By Iuliia Mendel

In an emergency session as the country grapples with the coronavirus crisis, Ukraine's parliament has voted for two bills that will open the way to new financing from the IMF and other international partners.

Democratic Transitions International Financial Institutions

UkraineAlert

Mar 30, 2020

Coronavirus must not distract the world from Russia’s war in Ukraine

By Ivanna Klympush-Tsintsadze

The coronavirus crisis is creating unprecedented challenges for the international community, but existing security threats like the Russian attack on Ukraine must not disappear from the diplomatic agenda, argues Ivanna Klympush-Tsintsadze.

Conflict Coronavirus

UkraineAlert

Mar 28, 2020

Time for Ukraine to exit Russia’s energy empire

By Bohdan Klid

Energy supplies have helped Russia exert political influence over Ukraine. With Russia's energy sector hit by short-term coronavirus woes and facing long-term decline, now is a good time for Ukraine to reduce dependency.

Geopolitics & Energy Security Russia

UkraineAlert

Mar 26, 2020

Russo-Ukrainian War: Putin must be held accountable

By Olena Zerkal

Russia is seeking to legitimize the Kremlin-created separatist republics in eastern Ukraine as a way of distancing itself from the ongoing conflict, but if Putin is not held accountable, other countries may share Ukraine's fate.

Conflict Russia

UkraineAlert

Mar 25, 2020

After coronavirus: how to get Ukraine working again

By Ilya Timtchenko

Ukraine is bracing for a major coronavirus economic downturn, but the country must also look to the post-pandemic future. Ilya Timtchenko offers some tips on how to get the Ukrainian economy working once again.

Coronavirus Economy & Business

UkraineAlert

Mar 24, 2020

Could coronavirus become Putin’s Chernobyl?

By Peter Dickinson

Official Russian coronavirus infection rates far lower than elsewhere in Europe, sparking accusations of a Kremlin cover-up. Could the pandemic become a new Chernobyl for Vladimir Putin?

Coronavirus Russia

UkraineAlert

Mar 23, 2020

Why Ukraine cannot risk recognizing Putin’s proxies

By Lisa Yasko

Many Ukrainians are alarmed by plans to create an Advisory Council together with representatives from Russian-occupied eastern Ukraine. Critics say the move will allow Russia to distance itself from the war.

Conflict Peacekeeping and Peacebuilding

UkraineAlert

Mar 23, 2020

Mr. and Mrs. Zelenskyy trip up on gender roles again

By Melinda Haring

Why does everything in the private sphere depend on Ukraine’s amazing women yet again?

Democratic Transitions Ukraine