UkraineAlert

UkraineAlert

UkraineAlert is a comprehensive online publication that provides regular news and analysis on developments in Ukraine’s politics, economy, civil society, and culture. UkraineAlert sources analysis and commentary from a wide-array of thought-leaders, politicians, experts, and activists from Ukraine and the global community. UkraineAlert has become a major publication in Ukraine’s news landscape and has established itself not only through its quality of content but also significant partnerships with English, Ukrainian, and Russian-language media through the country.

Stay Updated

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

Is Zelenskiy really the Kremlin’s best hope in Ukraine?

UkraineAlert Jan 20, 2026

Ukraine’s best security guarantee is the ability to strike back inside Russia

By Serhii Kuzan

With Kyiv’s Western allies unlikely to risk war with Russia, Ukraine’s most realistic security guarantee remains a strong military coupled with the ability to strike targets deep inside Russia, writes Serhii Kuzan.
Conflict Defense Policy
Is Zelenskiy really the Kremlin’s best hope in Ukraine?

UkraineAlert Jan 15, 2026

Veterans can shape the future of Ukrainian democracy

By Vasyl Sehin

The participation of military veterans in Ukraine’s political life has the potential to dramatically strengthen Ukrainian democracy and safeguard the country’s historic transition from centuries of Russian autocracy, writes Vasyl Sehin.
Conflict Democratic Transitions
Is Zelenskiy really the Kremlin’s best hope in Ukraine?

UkraineAlert Jan 8, 2026

Ukraine’s robot army will be crucial in 2026 but drones can’t replace infantry

By David Kirichenko

Ukraine’s growing robot army of land drones will play a vital role in the country’s defense during 2026, but they are not wonder weapons and cannot serve as a miracle cure for Kyiv’s manpower shortages, writes David Kirichenko.
Artificial Intelligence Conflict

Latest analysis

UkraineAlert

Aug 7, 2021

The 2008 Russo-Georgian War: Putin’s green light

By Peter Dickinson

The 2008 Russo-Georgian War is now widely recognized as a landmark event in Russia's emergence under Vladimir Putin as a revisionist power seeking to reverse the verdict of 1991.

Conflict European Union

UkraineAlert

Aug 5, 2021

Time to remind Russia that Crimea is Ukraine

By Oleksii Reznikov

The inaugural meeting of Ukraine's new Crimean Platform initiative will take place in Kyiv later this month as efforts continue to end the seven-year Russian occupation of Ukraine's Crimean peninsula.

Conflict Disinformation

UkraineAlert

Aug 5, 2021

How Ukraine can push back against Vladimir Putin’s twisted history

By Tom Warner

Russian President Vladimir Putin's recent article on Ukrainian history has been interpreted by many as a declaration of war against Ukrainian national identity. How should Ukraine respond to this ominous essay?

Conflict Disinformation

UkraineAlert

Aug 5, 2021

Here to dine in Kyiv

By Melinda Haring

Looking for a quick foodie holiday? The food in Ukraine is by turns inventive and inexpensive, creative, and delicious.

Civil Society Ukraine

BelarusAlert

Aug 4, 2021

Belarus dissident death in Ukraine fuels fears over Lukashenka death squads

By Brian Whitmore

The suspicious death of exiled Belarus dissident Vital Shyshou in Kyiv this week is fueling speculation over dictator Alyaksandr Lukashenka's use of death squads to eliminate political opponents across Europe.

Belarus Non-Traditional Threats

UkraineAlert

Aug 3, 2021

The next hot food destination is Ukraine

By Melinda Haring

It's only a matter of time before foodies the world over discover these gems in Ukraine.

Civil Society Ukraine

UkraineAlert

Jul 27, 2021

Is Putin’s next big chance to take Ukraine now?

By Mark Temnycky

With the world distracted by the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, is anyone paying attention to Ukraine's East? Distractions favor Putin, and he's taken advantage of nearly every major sporting event of the last 14 years to stun the world.

Conflict Crisis Management

UkraineAlert

Jul 27, 2021

More backsliding in Kyiv

By Andrew D’Anieri

President Zelenskyy's exemption of infrastructure projects from standard tender procedures and oversight is a setback for reform. Yet the move has sparked necessary conversations on how to improve public procurement in Ukraine.

Corruption Economy & Business
President Biden and Chancellor Merkel at a press conference at the White House.

UkraineAlert

Jul 27, 2021

Why is Biden letting Putin win?

By Diane Francis

Russia and Germany, enabled by a distracted and increasingly isolationist United States, trample Europe and ignore the wishes of Central and Eastern European and Baltic nation-states. What does the White House think it’s doing?

Financial Sanctions and Economic Coercion Geopolitics & Energy Security

UkraineAlert

Jul 20, 2021

Infrastructure cooperation could hold the key to Armenia’s future security

By Ani Yeghiazaryan

As the South Caucasus looks to move on following last year's Nagorno-Karabakh War, shared infrastructure projects could help foster greater regional stability and improve the chances for a sustainable peace.

Geopolitics & Energy Security Peacekeeping and Peacebuilding
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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
Is Zelenskiy really the Kremlin’s best hope in Ukraine?

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
Is Zelenskiy really the Kremlin’s best hope in Ukraine?

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
Is Zelenskiy really the Kremlin’s best hope in Ukraine?

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

Apr 16, 2019

Is Zelenskiy really the Kremlin’s best hope in Ukraine?

By Peter Dickinson

In the first round of Ukraine’s presidential election, the leading pro-Russian candidate secured 11 percent of the vote. Compare this to 2010 when pro-Kremlin candidate Viktor Yanukovych received 49 percent. This dramatic decline reflects the scale of the damage done to Russian interests in Ukraine by Vladimir Putin’s ongoing war. Russian aggression has alienated millions […]

Conflict Elections

UkraineAlert

Apr 9, 2019

Will the elections give the Ukrainian economy the kick It needs?

By Anders Åslund

Between the two rounds of the presidential election, a strange calm has grasped Kyiv. The election billboards are gone, and so are the many local protests. The only drama takes place on the Internet, where the two remaining candidates duel with videos. This is a propitious moment to take the temperature of the Ukrainian economy. […]

Democratic Transitions Elections

UkraineAlert

Apr 8, 2019

Ukrainians are world champions at coping with crisis

By Peter Dickinson

The ability to recover from national crises is plugged into Ukraine’s DNA.

Democratic Transitions Elections

UkraineAlert

Apr 5, 2019

What Ukraine needs from the west isn’t just cash

By Danylo Lubkivsky

In 2019, Ukraine celebrates the centennial anniversary of the unification of its national lands. On January 22, 1919, the Act of Union marked a historic milestone: for the first time in centuries, the Ukrainian people had revived their nation and unified most of its territories. Then Russian aggression destroyed our freedom, like it did again […]

Conflict Defense Policy

UkraineAlert

Apr 4, 2019

Zelenskiy wins first round but that’s not the surprise

By Mattia Nelles

The results of the first round of Ukraine’s presidential election did not surprise many. The four exit polls were remarkably close to one another and to the last comprehensive polls. They all displayed a similar picture: Volodymyr Zelenskiy would face off in the run-off with Poroshenko, who beat Tymoshenko. With the votes now counted, Zelenskiy […]

Conflict Elections

UkraineAlert

Apr 4, 2019

How Poroshenko could win and Zelenskiy could lose

By Alexander J. Motyl

The first round of Ukraine’s presidential election went overwhelmingly to Volodymyr Zelenskiy, but his victory in round two is by no means self-evident—especially if his rival, incumbent President Petro Poroshenko, plays his cards right. Ironically, Poroshenko’s three main strengths are Zelenskiy’s three main weaknesses. Poroshenko has a distinguished record (with a variety of blemishes, of […]

Elections Ukraine

UkraineAlert

Apr 4, 2019

Who is really advising Zelenskiy?

By Daniel Szeligowski

Showman Volodymyr Zelenskiy may soon become the next president of Ukraine. His chances of winning the second round, slated for April 21, are high. He has long prepared to go into politics, thus his victory in the first round was neither sudden nor unexpected. However, he lacks any political experience and seems to have little […]

Democratic Transitions Elections

UkraineAlert

Apr 3, 2019

When javelins aren’t enough

By Diane Francis

Several US military experts were asked about the best way forward and were divided as to priorities: More military aid, more diplomacy, more sanctions, a clean-up of Ukrainian corruption, or all in varying degrees.

Conflict European Union

UkraineAlert

Apr 3, 2019

What Zelenskiy needs to do to next

By Basil Kalymon

On March 31, Ukrainians gave a first-round victory to Volodymyr Zelenskiy for president with an endorsement of just over 30 percent. The incumbent, Petro Poroshenko, obtained around 16 percent, entering the runoff over third placed Yulia Tymoshenko. The voters clearly expressed their disillusionment with the existing political establishment and have chosen as frontrunner an outsider […]

Conflict Elections

UkraineAlert

Apr 2, 2019

What the business community wants from Ukraine’s next president

By Andy Hunder

Sending law enforcement officers in balaclavas armed with Kalashnikovs kicking down a company’s office door in a frantic search for financial records or tax documents is quite possibly the worst message a government can send to business owners, shareholders or executives. This is what I told President Petro Poroshenko a couple of years ago in […]

Elections Fiscal and Structural Reform
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