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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

Sep 8, 2026

Ukrainian drone strikes are disarming Russia’s energy weapon

By Ana Lejava

For years, Russia wielded its energy capacity as a weapon against its neighbors to manipulate, coerce, and control. Ukraine’s strategic bombing campaign is now turning this energy weapon against Moscow itself, writes Ana Lejava.

Central Asia Conflict

UkraineAlert

Sep 8, 2026

Putin welcomes Trump’s peace envoys but has no intention of ending the war

By Peter Dickinson

Trump’s envoys continue to discuss win-win scenarios, but Putin is playing a zero sum game. His invasion of Ukraine is not a land grab or a geopolitical real estate deal. It is an attempt to reverse the Soviet collapse and revive the Russian Empire, writes Peter Dickinson.

Conflict Disinformation

UkraineAlert

Sep 3, 2026

Putin cannot defeat NATO but he could divide and discredit the alliance

By Peter Dickinson

If Russian President Vladimir Putin decides to attack NATO, his goal will be to divide and discredit the alliance rather than actually defeating it, writes Peter Dickinson.

Conflict Defense Policy

UkraineAlert

Sep 3, 2026

Russia is trying to bully Europe into abandoning Ukraine

By Maksym Beznosiuk, Will Dixon

Russia is escalating its campaign of so-called “grey zone” aggression against Europe as Putin attempts to intimidate EU leaders and deter further support for Ukraine, write Maksym Beznosiuk and Will Dixon.

Conflict Drones

UkraineAlert

Sep 1, 2026

For Putin, the ‘root cause’ of the war is the existence of independent Ukraine

By Kateryna Odarchenko

Moscow claims to be ready for peace once the "root causes" of the Russia-Ukraine War are addressed, but Putin's demands confirm that he believes the "root cause" of the war is the existence of an independent Ukraine, writes Kateryna Odarchenko.

Conflict Disinformation

UkraineAlert

Sep 1, 2026

Europe should already start planning for a post-Lukashenka Belarus

By Viktar Baranau

There is nothing about today’s Belarus that suggests a country on the verge of change. Nevertheless, European policymakers would be well-advised to begin preparing for a post-Lukashenka Belarus now, in order to have a plan in place when the moment of transition arrives, writes Viktar Baranau.

Belarus Conflict

UkraineAlert

Aug 27, 2026

Ukrainians are not superheroes with endless powers of resilience

By Lauren Van Metre, Elena Davlikanova

By celebrating Ukrainian resilience as an almost superhuman quality, the international community risks obscuring the much less glamorous reality that Ukrainians are actually ordinary people who have endured extraordinary violence for far too long, write Lauren Van Metre and Elena Davlikanova.

Civil Society Conflict

UkraineAlert

Aug 27, 2026

Drone parade showcases Ukraine’s remarkable military transformation

By Mykola Bielieskov

Ukraine celebrated Independence Day this week with a novel military parade made up exclusively of unmanned systems, underlining the country’s emergence as a global leader in the field of drone warfare, writes Mykola Bielieskov.

Conflict Defense Industry

UkraineAlert

Aug 25, 2026

Russia’s war will not end until Putin accepts Ukrainian independence

By Peter Dickinson

Kremlin dictator Vladimir Putin is pursuing longstanding Russian imperial objectives in Ukraine and will not stop until he is forced to accept the irreversible reality of an independent Ukrainian state, writes Peter Dickinson.

Conflict European Union

UkraineAlert

Aug 25, 2026

A cultural renaissance is reshaping national identity in wartime Ukraine

By Davis Richardson

Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine is fueling a defiant cultural outpouring that is redefining and strengthening Ukrainian national identity in ways that challenge centuries of Kremlin imperialism, writes Davis Richardson.

Civil Society Conflict

spotlight

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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Content

UkraineAlert

Aug 8, 2019

Time is running out to kill Putin’s pet project

By Diane Francis

Russia’s disregard for European votes, laws, and court rulings against the pipeline should be reason enough to ban the project.

Geopolitics & Energy Security Oil and Gas

UkraineAlert

Aug 8, 2019

Why are men still running everything in Ukraine?  

By Melinda Haring

On inauguration day, the new president issued a picture of him and his inner team strutting down the red carpet. The picture is remarkable for the energy it conveys but it’s also remarkably male. There are no women in his inner circle.

Political Reform Ukraine

UkraineAlert

Aug 8, 2019

One way to ease Ukraine’s labor shortage

By Svitlana Butenko, Stuart Linder, and Valeriia Mykhalko

Ukraine can create the conditions where both refugees and asylum seekers can provide for themselves.

Inclusive Growth Migration

UkraineAlert

Aug 6, 2019

Don’t write off the Donbas yet

By Alexander Khrebet

On July 21, three pro-Western parties collectively won 37 percent in the Donbas. These election results show that true political competition has come to the Donbas for the first time.

Elections Political Reform

UkraineAlert

Aug 6, 2019

The case against parliamentary immunity in Ukraine

By Manfred Richter and Miriam Kosmehl

In Ukraine, abolishing parliamentary immunity is a popular notion, because the Verkhovna Rada is one of the least-trusted institutions. Traditionally, some of Ukraine’s lawmakers find a seat in the Rada attractive because they seek protection from prosecution while pursuing their individual interests.

Corruption Political Reform

UkraineAlert

Aug 1, 2019

The most outrageous case this summer that no one has heard of

By Olga Tokariuk

Misinformation, disinformation, and outright fakes played a role in assembling the case, which should be seen as another chapter in Russia's hybrid war against Ukraine.

Disinformation Italy

UkraineAlert

Jul 31, 2019

Nine names to watch in Ukraine’s next parliament

By Melinda Haring

Five political parties will enter the next parliament, and four of the five support a Western path for Ukraine. But will the new parliament be more or less reform minded than the previous one?

Elections Political Reform

UkraineAlert

Jul 30, 2019

Three easy wins for Ukraine

By Andreas Umland

Now that Ukraine’s elections have passed, few would disagree that numerous new laws, resolutions, and policies need to be implemented to make the state function better.

Elections Political Reform

UkraineAlert

Jul 30, 2019

A plan to transform Ukraine’s notoriously bad parliament

By Yuri Polakiwsky

Passing such legislation in the early days of a new parliament would be a monumental achievement

Corruption Political Reform

UkraineAlert

Jul 26, 2019

His star is on the rise

By Melinda Haring

Now, Oleksiy Honcharuk may be the next prime minister of Ukraine.

Elections Political Reform