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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

Mar 2, 2021

Ukrainian parliament finally moves to end multi-voting

By Peter Dickinson

Ukraine scored a small but significant victory in the battle against political corruption on March 2 with the launch of a new voting system in the country’s parliament that should put an end to the practice of MPs voting on behalf of absent colleagues.

Corruption Democratic Transitions

UkraineAlert

Mar 1, 2021

Getting Ukraine’s security service reform right

By Oleksandra Ustinova and Steven Pifer

Ukrainian MPs are currently preparing a long-awaited bill to reform the country's security service. The initiative is encouraging but numerous measures are still required to distance Ukraine from the KGB past.

Democratic Transitions Intelligence

UkraineAlert

Feb 26, 2021

Why Ukraine sanctioned Putin’s ally Medvedchuk

By Andriy Yermak

Ukraine has introduced a number of measures during February 2021 to restrict the influence of Vladimir Putin's closest Ukrainian ally, Viktor Medvedchuk.

Conflict Disinformation

UkraineAlert

Feb 25, 2021

Russia’s collective punishment of the Crimean Tatars is a war crime

By Wayne Jordash and Anna Mykytenko

As Ukraine seeks international justice over the Russian seizure and occupation of Crimea, Kyiv should consider holding the Kremlin to account for the collective punishment of the Crimean Tatars.

Conflict Human Rights

UkraineAlert

Feb 25, 2021

Biden must freeze Putin’s pipeline and prevent this “bad deal for Europe”

By Benjamin Schmitt

By taking steps to block the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, US President Joe Biden has a real opportunity to build a new transatlantic security consensus while revitalizing the US-German relationship.

Geopolitics & Energy Security Germany

UkraineAlert

Feb 25, 2021

Ukrainians protest “political justice” over activist jailing

By Solomiia Bobrovska

The jailing of a high-profile Ukrainian activist has sparked protests over fears that his conviction represents politicized justice and a victory for pro-Kremlin forces within the Ukrainian establishment.

Civil Society Conflict

UkraineAlert

Feb 23, 2021

Rethinking Yushchenko

By Brian Mefford

Ukraine's third president, Viktor Yushchenko, came to power on a tide of history but left office in humbling circumstances after a single term. Is it now time to reevaluate the transformative effect of his presidency?

Democratic Transitions Ukraine

UkraineAlert

Feb 22, 2021

Ukraine’s booming IT sector defies the coronavirus crisis

By Peter Dickinson

While businesses around the world are counting the cost of a year disrupted by the unprecedented challenges of the COVID crisis, Ukraine’s IT sector continues to go from strength to strength.

Coronavirus Economy & Business

UkraineAlert

Feb 20, 2021

Ukraine can play key role in Europe’s energy Green Deal

By Aura Sabadus

The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), World Bank, and EU have all argued that Ukraine could become a world leader in renewable production.

Energy Transitions Geopolitics & Energy Security

UkraineAlert

Feb 18, 2021

Alexei Navalny is a Russian nationalist but he may still be good news for Ukraine

By Andreas Umland

Many Ukrainians remain skeptical of jailed Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny due to his Russian nationalist past, but Navalny's impact on Russian politics may eventually prove beneficial for Ukraine.

Conflict 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

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

UkraineAlert

Feb 18, 2020

How Kyiv views the 12 step plan

By ROK Movement Against Capitulation / (Рух Опору Капітуляції)

Russia must take political and material responsibility for the consequences for the crime it committed: aggression and the occupation of the Ukrainian territory.

Conflict Crisis Management

UkraineAlert

Feb 18, 2020

Unsolved Maidan massacre casts shadow over Ukraine

By Bohdan Nahaylo

As Ukraine marks the sixth anniversary of the Maidan massacre the country is still waiting for justice. Could something akin to the kind of truth and reconciliation commissions that have proven effective in other countries also work in Ukraine?

Democratic Transitions Peacekeeping and Peacebuilding

UkraineAlert

Feb 18, 2020

Russian escalation dampens hopes for peace in Ukraine

By Peter Dickinson

Russian hybrid forces in eastern Ukraine launched a series of artillery bombardments and localized advances early on February 18. What does this latest escalation mean for the already faint hopes of an end to the six-year conflict?

Conflict Russia