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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

Apr 22, 2021

Putin withdraws troops but Russo-Ukrainian War continues

By
Peter Dickinson

Russia appears to have ended weeks of tension by ordering the withdrawal of troops concentrated on the Ukrainian border, but the seven-year Russo-Ukrainian War remains far from over.

Conflict
Russia


UkraineAlert

Apr 22, 2021

Ukraine moves closer to large-scale privatization breakthrough

By
Dmytro Sennychenko

Ukraine is currently on the verge of a large-scale privatization program that could dramatically reduce the country’s vast portfolio of corrupt and under-performing state-owned enterprises.

Corruption
Economy & Business


UkraineAlert

Apr 22, 2021

Nord Stream 2 threat: Ukraine and EU neighbors must expand border infrastructure

By
Aura Sabadus

Working with Ukraine now to expand capacities on the country’s borders with the EU, irrespective of the Nord Stream 2 project’s fate, should be a priority not only for Kyiv, but also for Europe as a whole.

European Union
Geopolitics & Energy Security


UkraineAlert

Apr 20, 2021

Ukraine’s nation-building journey and the legacy of the Euromaidan Revolution

By
Sofiya Kominko

Ukrainian MPs recently passed a resolution recognizing the country’s 2013-14 Euromaidan Revolution as a “key moment” in Ukraine’s nation-building process, but the final verdict of history is still to come.

Civil Society
Democratic Transitions


UkraineAlert

Apr 20, 2021

Putin’s Ukraine War: Can the West prevent a new Russian offensive?

By
Peter Dickinson

The West has responded to a major Russian military build-up on the Ukrainian border by voicing its support for Ukraine, but critics say the international community must do more to deter Vladimir Putin from a new offensive.

Conflict
Russia


UkraineAlert

Apr 15, 2021

Putin’s saber-rattling reflects Russian rage over the loss of Ukraine

By
Peter Dickinson

Putin’s saber-rattling activities on the Ukrainian border reflect Moscow’s refusal to accept its declining influence in a country where Russia has been the dominant force for more than three centuries.

Conflict
Russia


UkraineAlert

Apr 15, 2021

Russian-language media: Can Ukraine compete with the Kremlin?

By
Mitchell Polman

Putin’s hybrid war against Ukraine has relied heavily on disinformation and the weaponization of Russian-language media, but Ukraine remains best-placed among the former Soviet republics to lead the fight back.

Disinformation
Media


UkraineAlert

Apr 15, 2021

Corporate governance crisis continues at Ukraine’s state-owned enterprises

By
Anders Åslund

Efforts to reform corporate governance at Ukraine’s many large state-owned enterprises are being hampered by a lack of political will and a desire to maintain lucrative corruption schemes.

Corruption
Democratic Transitions


BelarusAlert

Apr 14, 2021

Belarus is the new front in Putin’s war against Ukraine

By
Brian Whitmore

Fears are growing that the rapidly expanding Russian military presence in Belarus will help transform the country into a new front in the Kremlin’s war against Ukraine.

Belarus
Conflict


UkraineAlert

Apr 13, 2021

Russian passports: Putin’s secret weapon in the war against Ukraine

By
Peter Dickinson

Since 2019, Moscow has distributed hundreds of thousands of Russian passports to Ukrainians living the occupied east of the country. Kremlin officials are now vowing to defend these Russian citizens if necessary.

Conflict
Russia

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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.

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Content

UkraineAlert

Oct 16, 2018

Ukraine, Anti-Semitism, Racism, and the Far Right​

By Adrian Karatnycky

October 14 saw the latest in a string of annual mass marches by the far right in Ukraine. As many as 10,000 people participated, mainly young men, chanting fiercely. A nighttime torchlight parade with signs proclaiming “We’ll return Ukraine to Ukrainians,” contained echoes of Nazi-style symbolism. Lax law enforcement and indifference by the security services to the operations of the far right is being noticed by extremists from abroad who […]

Russia
Ukraine

UkraineAlert

Oct 15, 2018

What Really Happened in Constantinople Last Week

By Cyril Hovorun

Last week Ukraine’s Orthodox Church got confirmation that it will likely receive the independence from Moscow that it has long sought. The issue is complex, and the terminology foreign to most readers. The issue of the Ukrainian church is similar to an iceberg. What appears above the surface is political, but the largest part underneath […]

Russia
Ukraine

UkraineAlert

Oct 14, 2018

Kyiv Patriarchate Vs. Moscow Patriarchate: David Triumphs Over Goliath

By Margo Gontar

The Ukrainian Orthodox Church will become independent. It’s hard to overestimate the significance of this change; Moscow will no longer have power over it. And that’s exactly what Russia cannot tolerate.

Civil Society
Russia

UkraineAlert

Oct 11, 2018

Three more reasons why I’m optimistic about Ukraine

By Melinda Haring

There are plenty of principled, young and not-so-young people, in the pipeline.

Civil Society
Corruption

UkraineAlert

Oct 9, 2018

Why Can’t Ukraine Kill Corruption?

By Mykola Vorobiov

Ukraine still struggles to overcome its core disease of corruption. Since the 2014 Euromaidan, a number of anticorruption institutions have been created in close cooperation with Western partners, including the United States. Among them are the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU), the Special Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAP), the State Bureau of Investigation (SBI), and the Anti-Corruption […]

Ukraine

UkraineAlert

Oct 9, 2018

Vakarchuk Says Ukraine Needs New Leaders, But Will He Be One?

By Melinda Haring

For months now, political junkies and ordinary Ukrainians have debated whether their beloved rock star Slava Vakarchuk will run for president in 2019. He’s got massive name recognition throughout the country. Even more, he’s one of the only reform-minded candidates who might be able to unify Ukraine’s fractious opposition. Last week I caught up with […]

Ukraine

UkraineAlert

Oct 8, 2018

Ukraine’s Anticorruption Fight Hits a Brick Wall, and the Wall Has a Name

By Olena Halushka

On September 11, Oleksandr Avakov turned thirty and received the best birthday present ever: the corruption charges hanging over his head were dropped permanently. Oleksandr, who is the son of Ukraine’s Interior Minister Arsen Avakov—was suspected by NABU of cooking up a scheme to rip off the state to the tune of more than $520,000 […]

Ukraine

UkraineAlert

Oct 4, 2018

Back to the Bad Old Days in Kyiv

By Josh Cohen

Today as reform politician Sergiy Gusovsky finished speaking at a rally on the steps of the Kyiv City Council, a crowd hurled green antiseptic at his eyes and tried to assault him. He is suffering from chemical burns in both eyes. As horrible as the attack on Gusovsky was, it represents just the tip of the […]

Ukraine

UkraineAlert

Oct 4, 2018

Think Before You Invest in Ukraine

By Mohammad Zahoor

Ukraine is striving to attract foreign direct investment. Numerous roadshows showcasing the attractiveness of investments in Ukraine are being organized in different countries and pushed on the pages of some of the finest newspapers and magazines. On October 8, there will be a full Ukrainian Week in London, where the country’s leadership will attempt to […]

Ukraine

UkraineAlert

Oct 1, 2018

Does Poroshenko Have a Chance at a Second Term?

By Volodymyr Yermolenko

Purple posters with three words, “Army, language, faith” line the road to the airport in Kyiv, Ukraine. In smaller letters, they proclaim, “We are going our own way,” which means away from Russia. These posters are incumbent President Petro Poroshenko’s new campaign slogan, and they differ from his previous rhetoric in 2014.   Poroshenko’s language […]

Ukraine