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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

Russia’s Provocations in the Sea of Azov: What Should Be Done?

UkraineAlert
Jul 1, 2025

Putin’s escalating air offensive is overwhelming Ukraine’s defenses

By
Mykola Bielieskov

Russian aerial attacks on Ukrainian cities are expanding rapidly and killing growing numbers of civilians. Kyiv must urgently find technological solutions to defend against Putin’s escalating air offensive, writes Mykola Bielieskov.

Conflict
Defense Industry

Russia’s Provocations in the Sea of Azov: What Should Be Done?

UkraineAlert
Jun 23, 2025

‘All of Ukraine is ours’: Putin’s Russian imperialism is now on full display

By
Peter Dickinson

Putin declared last week that “all of Ukraine is ours.” The Kremlin dictator’s revealing comments highlight the resurgent Russian imperialism driving Europe’s largest invasion since WWII, writes Peter Dickinson.

Conflict
Disinformation

Russia’s Provocations in the Sea of Azov: What Should Be Done?

UkraineAlert
Jun 12, 2025

Putin’s peace plan is a blueprint for the end of Ukrainian statehood

By
Tetiana Kotelnykova

Russia’s peace plan sends a clear signal that Moscow wants to erase Ukraine as a state and as a nation. If Western leaders wish to avoid this catastrophic outcome, they must convince Putin that the alternative to a negotiated peace is a Russian defeat, writes Tetiana Kotelnykova.

Conflict
Freedom and Prosperity

Latest analysis

UkraineAlert

Feb 25, 2025

US sides with Russia against Ukraine and Europe at the United Nations

By
Shelby Magid

A diplomatic clash at the UN has illustrated the dramatic divide that has emerged between the United States and Europe since the inauguration of US President Donald Trump just over one month ago, writes Shelby Magid.

Conflict
Freedom and Prosperity


UkraineAlert

Feb 25, 2025

Will a new Russia reset prove more successful than earlier attempts?

By
Leah Nodvin

The Trump administration is seeking to reset relations with Russia as part of a comprehensive shift in US foreign policy, but successive past Russia resets have ended in failure, writes Leah Nodvin.

Conflict
Economic Sanctions


UkraineAlert

Feb 20, 2025

Ukrainians are proudly democratic but resoundingly reject wartime elections

By
Peter Dickinson

Ukraine’s fight for democracy has been at the heart of the country’s struggle against the past two decades of escalating Russian aggression, but Ukrainians overwhelmingly reject the idea of staging dangerous wartime elections before peace is secured, writes Peter Dickinson.

Civil Society
Conflict


UkraineAlert

Feb 20, 2025

Trump and Putin seek economic reset but businesses may not rush back to Russia

By
Edward Verona

As the Trump administration seeks to reset relations with Russia as part of a peace process to end the war in Ukraine, Moscow is pushing the idea of increased economic cooperation, writes Edward Verona.

Conflict
Corruption


UkraineAlert

Feb 18, 2025

Transatlantic alliance enters most challenging period since Suez crisis

By
Edward Verona

The conclusion that many observers are drawing from the 2025 Munich Security Conference is that the United States, at least during the Trump presidency, is no longer willing to guarantee European security, writes Edward Verona.

Conflict
European Union


UkraineAlert

Feb 18, 2025

Georgia’s pro-Kremlin authorities intensify crackdown on opposition

By
Mercedes Sapuppo

Georgia’s pro-Kremlin authorities presented new legislation in February that critics say will increase pressure on the country’s civil society and independent media while also placing additional restrictions on protests, writes Mercedes Sapuppo.

Civil Society
Conflict


UkraineAlert

Feb 13, 2025

Ukrainian drones reportedly knock out 10 percent of Russian refining capacity

By
Peter Dickinson

Ukraine’s 2025 campaign of drone strikes on Russian energy infrastructure has succeeded in knocking out around one-tenth of Russia’s refining capacity, according to analysis by Reuters, writes Peter Dickinson.

Conflict
Defense Technologies


UkraineAlert

Feb 13, 2025

A Putin-friendly peace deal would be disastrous for global security

By
Ihor Smeshko

As US President Donald Trump announces the start of negotiations with Russia to end the war in Ukraine, Ihor Smeshko warns that a Putin-friendly compromise peace would have catastrophic consequences for the future of international security.

Conflict
International Norms


UkraineAlert

Feb 12, 2025

Europe must prepare to defend itself in an increasingly multipolar world

By
Mykola Bielieskov

With the United States looking to pivot away from Europe to Asia and a revisionist Russia openly embracing an expansionist agenda, European leaders must prepare to defend themselves in an increasingly multipolar world, writes Mykola Bielieskov.

Conflict
Defense Industry


UkraineAlert

Feb 11, 2025

Can Russia be held accountable for the crime of aggression in Ukraine?

By
Kristina Hook

In early February, a coalition of 37 countries announced “significant progress” toward the establishment of a special tribunal for the international crime of aggression against Ukraine, writes Kristina Hook.

Conflict
Disinformation

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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

Russia’s Provocations in the Sea of Azov: What Should Be Done?

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.

Read More

Russia’s Provocations in the Sea of Azov: What Should Be Done?

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

Russia’s Provocations in the Sea of Azov: What Should Be Done?

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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Content

UkraineAlert

Nov 26, 2018

Russia’s Provocations in the Sea of Azov: What Should Be Done?

By Stephen Blank

On November 25 Russian vessels blocked Ukrainian ones from entering the Sea of Azov, fired on Ukrainian ships in the Black Sea, rammed some of those ships, seized three Ukrainian ships, and wounded six in these exchanges. Russia also dispatched helicopters to the area to maintain surveillance and fire capability over any approaching Ukrainian vessels. […]

Russia Ukraine

UkraineAlert

Nov 26, 2018

Q&A: Russia Attacks Ukraine Again. How Should Ukraine, NATO, and the West Respond?

By Melinda Haring

On November 25, Russia fired on the Ukrainian Navy in the Black Sea, injuring at least two Ukrainian sailors. Many experts have warned that Russia is opening a new front in its forgotten war in Ukraine on the Black and Azov Seas, illegally boarding commercial Ukrainian vessels and increasing its military presence to about 120 […]

Russia Ukraine

UkraineAlert

Nov 24, 2018

An American Tradition that Ukraine Doesn’t Need

By Nataliya Popovych

It’s Black Friday in Kyiv, Ukraine, and retail is booming. Abundance is everywhere. Like everywhere else, Black Friday sales are plastered on store windows around town. For Ukrainians, this reality comes in shocking contrast with the events of 1933 eighty-five years ago. Ukraine was breadless and in crisis. Corpses littered the streets in central and […]

Russia Ukraine

UkraineAlert

Nov 21, 2018

Giving Thanks for Thank You: Ukraine’s Business Community Embraces Gratitude

By Andy Hunder

As McDonalds prepared to open its first restaurant in the Soviet Union in 1990, the fast food company embarked on a program to train its future staff to smile and thank customers. During the training session one of the young new hamburger restaurant recruits raised his hand and asked the American instructor: “Why should I […]

Ukraine

UkraineAlert

Nov 20, 2018

Ukraine Is Really a Testing Ground

By David J. Kramer

Western democracies are under threat from outside meddling, and Ukraine is the testing ground for this interference. Former Assistant Secretary of State David J. Kramer looks at why Ukraine’s position on the frontline of freedom has led to increase foreign interference in Ukraine and why the West must pay attention to possible influence operations in […]

Ukraine

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
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