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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 18, 2022

Disarming Russia’s energy weapon: Ukraine begins electricity exports to Moldova

By Aura Sabadus

Less than two months after synchronizing with the European electricity grid, Ukraine has begun energy exports to neighboring Moldova in a move that is likely to further dent Russia’s grip over the region.

Conflict Energy Markets & Governance

UkraineAlert

May 17, 2022

Vladimir Putin is running out of options to avoid defeat in Ukraine

By Taras Kuzio

Vladimir Putin expected a quick victory in Ukraine but now finds himself facing a catastrophic defeat that will shatter Russia's pretensions to military superpower status while threatening Putin's own authoritarian regime.

Conflict Crisis Management

UkraineAlert

May 16, 2022

Ukraine War Diary: Everyday life is slowly returning to Fortress Kyiv

By Vitaly Sych

Ukraine War Diary: A semblance of normality is returning to life in the capital but Kyiv remains a fortress city where a strong military presence and an absence of children serve as constant reminders that the country is at war.

Civil Society Conflict

UkraineAlert

May 15, 2022

Will Putin use chemical weapons in Ukraine?

By Ben Connable

Fears are mounting that Vladimir Putin may seek to save his failing Ukraine invasion by deploying chemical weapons, but there are reasons to believe that the Russian army is not capable of biological warfare.

Arms Control Conflict

UkraineAlert

May 15, 2022

Western advocates of appeasement need a crash course in Putinology

By Anders Åslund

The war in Ukraine has exposed the fundamental failure of international audiences to appreciate the true nature of modern Russia. Western advocates of appeasement clearly need a crash course in Putinology.

Conflict Disinformation

UkraineAlert

May 14, 2022

Ukraine wins Eurovision as European voters show song contest solidarity

By Peter Dickinson

Ukraine's Eurovision victory is a soft power success story that underlines the country's dominance over Russia on the information front while highlighting the strength of international solidary and support for Ukraine.

Conflict Europe & Eurasia

UkraineAlert

May 12, 2022

Independent Ukraine’s first president Leonid Kravchuk dies aged 88

By Peter Dickinson

Ukraine’s first post-Soviet president Leonid Kravchuk passed away on May 10. He is best remembered for his leading role in the 1991 Ukrainian Declaration of Independence and the collapse of the Soviet Union.

Conflict Democratic Transitions

UkraineAlert

May 12, 2022

Putin’s Imperial War: Russia unveils plans to annex southern Ukraine

By Peter Dickinson

Kremlin officials have underlined the expansionist imperial agenda driving Putin's Ukraine war by announcing plans to officially annex Ukraine's Kherson Oblast and incorporate it into the Russian Federation.

Civil Society Conflict

UkraineAlert

May 11, 2022

Kazakhstan cancels Victory Day in protest over Putin’s Ukraine War

By Wilder Alejandro Sánchez, Kamila Auyezova

Kazakhstan's recent decision to cancel the country's annual WWII Victory Day parade was a small but significant indication of Nur-Sultan's opposition to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Central Asia Conflict

UkraineAlert

May 8, 2022

Vladimir Putin’s WWII victory cult is a recipe for international aggression

By Andrej Lushnycky

Vladimir Putin has transformed Russia's traditional Victory Day commemorations marking the defeat of Nazi Germany into a nationalistic celebration of militarism that helps justify Moscow's war of aggression in Ukraine.

Civil Society Conflict

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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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Content

UkraineAlert

Oct 22, 2019

Is Europe giving up on Ukraine?

By Mark Temnycky

Some European leaders seem to want a new approach with Ukraine.

Political Reform

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Oct 21, 2019

Invisible in an invisible war

By Lauren Van Metre and Steven Steiner

Despite the nod to the critical role women play in the war with Russia, representatives of the Ukraine Women’s Veterans Movement note that discrimination has increased.

Civil Society Conflict

UkraineAlert

Oct 21, 2019

Kyiv not Kiev: Why spelling matters in Ukraine’s quest for an independent identity

By Peter Dickinson

A number of global heavyweights have recently adopted the Ukrainian-language derived “Kyiv” as their official spelling for the country’s capital city, replacing the Russian-rooted “Kiev.”

Democratic Transitions Political Reform

UkraineAlert

Oct 17, 2019

The seasoning of President Zelenskyy

By Bohdan Nahaylo

It appears that the well-meaning, if initially inexperienced and idealistic, Zelenskyy, unconventional and not entirely predictable, has been forced to learn this through the school of hard knocks.

Crisis Management Elections

UkraineAlert

Oct 16, 2019

Servant of the people or servant of the oligarchs?

By Diane Francis

The president’s response is appropriate in a country with an operating rule of law. But in Ukraine, with an unreformed judiciary, this is a complete cop out.

Financial Regulation Fiscal and Structural Reform

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Oct 11, 2019

Seven takeaways from Zelenskyy’s marathon press conference (and one surprise) 

By Iryna Matviyishyn

At the press conference, Zelenskyy said he was ready to “sit down and talk” with Kolomoisky.

Civil Society Conflict

UkraineAlert

Oct 11, 2019

Ukraine’s $50 billion challenge

By Andy Hunder

The key concerns from business are not new. The rule of law, fair justice, macroeconomic stability, a predictable tax policy, secure investment, and property rights, including intellectual property rights, top their lists.

Fiscal and Structural Reform International Financial Institutions

UkraineAlert

Oct 9, 2019

Real talk on Kyiv’s talks with Moscow

By Diane Francis

Ukraine must devise its bargaining position, and anticipate Russia’s, or it will be devoured in upcoming talks, left to the mercy of Putin as well as of France and Germany, both co-opted by Putin.

Conflict Democratic Transitions

UkraineAlert

Oct 9, 2019

Mission possible

By Basil Kalymon

The government wants to liberalize the economy and proceed with radical and swift changes.

Corruption Democratic Transitions

UkraineAlert

Oct 9, 2019

Ukraine’s most vulnerable children deserve a passport, too

By Anna Babko

In the non-government controlled territories of Ukraine, 57 percent of children were born without proper birth registration by the Ukrainian authorities and may be unable to qualify for a Ukrainian passport at age 14.

Civil Society Conflict