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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 4, 2024

Indian PM Modi visits Ukraine to open new foreign policy horizons

By
Mridula Ghosh

Indian PM Narendra Modi paid an historic visit to Kyiv in late August as Delhi seeks to counter negative perceptions of its close economic and defense ties with Moscow and underline its status as an emerging geopolitical power in its own right, writes Mridula Ghosh.

Conflict
Defense Industry


UkraineAlert

Sep 3, 2024

Moscow escalates nuclear threats as Ukraine erases Russia’s red lines

By
Peter Dickinson

The Kremlin has this week vowed to revise its nuclear doctrine as Moscow seeks to regain the fear factor after Ukraine’s invasion of Russia’s Kursk region made a mockery Putin’s nuclear red lines, writes Peter Dickinson.

Conflict
Defense Industry


UkraineAlert

Sep 2, 2024

The United States needs a long-term approach to Ukraine aid

By
Doug Klain

It’s time the United States matched its allies by passing meaningful long-term support for Ukraine. If executed properly, the Blumenthal-Graham proposal could soon make that a reality, writes Doug Klain.

Conflict
Freedom and Prosperity


UkraineAlert

Sep 1, 2024

Key Ukrainian front line city evacuates as Russian offensive gains pace

By
Maria Avdeeva

Evacuation efforts are accelerating in Pokrovsk as Russian troops draw closer amid fears the city will soon become the latest in a growing list of Ukrainian urban centers reduced to rubble by Putin’s invading army, writes Maria Avdeeva.

Civil Society
Conflict


UkraineAlert

Aug 29, 2024

There can be no European peace without Ukrainian victory

By
Olena Halushka

Putin’s Russia is an expansionist power that will inevitably go further if it is not stopped in Ukraine. Western leaders must recognize that there can be no European peace without Ukrainian victory, writes Olena Halushka.

Conflict
Freedom and Prosperity


UkraineAlert

Aug 27, 2024

Putin hopes Belarus border bluff can disrupt Ukraine’s invasion of Russia

By
Peter Dickinson

With his overstretched army struggling to repel Ukraine’s invasion of Russia, Vladimir Putin has pressed Belarusian dictator Alyaksandr Lukashenka to mass troops on the Ukrainian border, but Belarus is unlikely to join the war, writes Peter Dickinson.

Belarus
Conflict


UkraineAlert

Aug 27, 2024

Ukraine ratifies Rome Statute but must address concerns over ICC jurisdiction

By
Celeste Kmiotek

The Ukrainian Parliament recently ratified the Rome Statute to become a member state of the International Criminal court but concerns remain over future ICC jurisdiction in Ukraine, writes Celeste Kmiotek.

Conflict
Freedom and Prosperity


UkraineAlert

Aug 22, 2024

Ukraine’s EU accession hinges on stronger defense and consolidated reforms

By
Zachary Popovich

To achieve EU accession, Ukraine must strengthen its defense capabilities, execute administrative reforms within its judiciary, and implement a multi-sector approach to corruption, writes Zachary Popovich.

Civil Society
Conflict


UkraineAlert

Aug 21, 2024

Invasion? What invasion? Putin is downplaying Ukraine’s Kursk offensive

By
Peter Dickinson

Vladimir Putin’s efforts to downplay Ukraine’s invasion of Russia have severely dented his strongman image and make a mockery of the West’s escalation fears, writes Peter Dickinson.

Conflict
Defense Policy


UkraineAlert

Aug 20, 2024

Kursk offensive could help free Ukrainians in Russian captivity

By
Olivia Yanchik

Ukraine’s invasion of Russia’s Kursk Oblast has resulted in the surrender of unprecedented numbers of Russian soldiers, raising hopes of a large-scale prisoner exchange, writes Olivia Yanchik.

Conflict
Defense Policy

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

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

UkraineAlert

Nov 12, 2018

A Counterintuitive Way Ukraine Can Impress the EU and Solve Its Own Migration Problem

By Andrej Novak and Andreas Umland

Ukrainians were granted the most residence permits of any non-EU nationals in the EU last year. Approximately 662,000 Ukrainians received such permission in 2017 alone. Ukrainians are now integrating into Europe at an annual number roughly equal to the population of Montenegro, an official EU accession candidate and new NATO member. For hundreds of thousands […]

Ukraine

UkraineAlert

Nov 8, 2018

Three Things Ukraine Must Do Now If It Wants Clean Elections Next Year

By Brian Mefford

The parliament renewed Ukraine’s highest election body, the Central Election Commission, ahead of the crucial 2019 general elections.

Ukraine

UkraineAlert

Nov 8, 2018

Russia’s Dangerous New Front in Ukraine

By Vera Zimmerman

In response to Russia’s aggressive actions in the Sea of Azov, Ukraine has gone on high alert to boost its coastal defense positions and build up its naval presence. Since April 2018, under the pretext of protecting its illegally constructed Kerch Bridge and fighting what it calls Ukraine’s “state piracy,” Russia has been brazenly conducting […]

Russia Ukraine

UkraineAlert

Nov 6, 2018

Q&A: Is This What It Looks Like to Be an Activist in Ukraine Today?

By Melinda Haring

On November 4, 33-year-old anticorruption activist Kateryna Handzyuk died from injuries caused by an acid attack. Handzyuk had been attacked three months earlier outside of her home in Kherson, Ukraine, and had undergone eleven surgeries to recover from the burns. Since 2017, at least 55 activists, journalists, and one opposition politician have been attacked. UkraineAlert […]

Ukraine

UkraineAlert

Nov 6, 2018

Ukraine’s Language Bill Misses the Point

By Josh Cohen

Media outlets everywhere face challenges ranging from shrinking advertising budgets to getting consumers to pay for content. In Ukraine, however, they may soon face a different kind of challenge. A draft law currently being considered by Ukraine’s parliament would require all media published in other languages to produce an identical Ukrainian version both online and […]

Ukraine

UkraineAlert

Nov 6, 2018

Russia Shows its Military Might in the Black Sea and Beyond

By Ruslan Minich

Since illegally annexing Crimea in 2014, Russia has drastically increased its military presence in the Black Sea region. The Kremlin’s dominance may be temporary given NATO’s greater capacities, but so far, NATO’s response has been limited. “Russia has practically covered all of the Black Sea region,” says Hryhorii Perepelytsia, the head of the Kyiv-based Foreign […]

Russia Ukraine

UkraineAlert

Nov 6, 2018

Why Is the Sea of Azov So Important?

By Stephen Blank

Having illegally annexed Crimea in 2014, Moscow lost no time in seizing Ukrainian energy assets in and around the region. The Kremlin is now conducting another experiment in economic and military operations, but this one has profound implications beyond Ukraine. Before the seizure of Crimea, both Ukraine and Russia agreed to regard the Sea of […]

Russia Ukraine