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

What a Little Girl and an Aging Pop Star Can Teach Us about Russian Propaganda

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

What a Little Girl and an Aging Pop Star Can Teach Us about Russian Propaganda

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

What a Little Girl and an Aging Pop Star Can Teach Us about Russian Propaganda

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

Mar 5, 2026

Iran war could save Vladimir Putin’s failing Ukraine invasion

By
Peter Dickinson

While Russia’s inability to assist Iran is undoubtedly embarrassing for the Kremlin, Vladimir Putin could still emerge as a key beneficiary of the escalating conflict in the Middle East, writes Peter Dickinson.


Conflict

Drones


UkraineAlert

Mar 5, 2026

Russian army faces comms crisis amid Starlink cut and Kremlin crackdown

By
Katherine Spencer, Marc Goedemans

The Russian army in Ukraine is facing a growing communication crisis amid recent disruptions to Telegram and Starlink, leaving troops increasingly in the dark and exposing mounting strains inside Russia, write Katherine Spencer and Marc Goedemans.


Conflict

Defense Technologies


UkraineAlert

Mar 2, 2026

Ukraine’s experience is indispensable in the fight against Iranian drones

By
Peter Dickinson

Britain has announced plans to deploy Ukrainian drone warfare specialists to the Middle East as part of international efforts to counter the growing threat posed by swarms of Iranian drones, writes Peter Dickinson.


Conflict

Defense Technologies


UkraineAlert

Mar 2, 2026

Missiles made in Ukraine are bringing Putin’s invasion home to Russia

By
David Kirichenko

Ukraine is investing in a domestic missile program to create the kind of long-range strike potential that could force Putin to the negotiating table and serve as a deterrent against future Russian aggression, writes David Kirichenko.


Conflict

Defense Industry


UkraineAlert

Mar 2, 2026

Europe must not seek Putin’s approval before sending troops to Ukraine

By
Stephen Blank

European leaders representing Coalition of the Willing countries reportedly reject the idea of sending troops to Ukraine without first securing Russian President Vladimir Putin's approval, writes Stephen Blank.


Conflict

European Union


UkraineAlert

Feb 26, 2026

Ukraine’s women may hold the key to the country’s future security

By
Calin Trenkov-Wermuth, Sofia Kryshtal

Ukraine's female population should play a larger part in the country's future security strategy and can take on a wide range of military support and administrative roles far from the front lines, write Calin Trenkov-Wermuth and Sofia Kryshtal.


Conflict

Defense Policy


UkraineAlert

Feb 26, 2026

Putin’s plan: Make Ukraine unlivable by destroying essential infrastructure

By
William Dixon, Maksym Beznosiuk

With the Russian army currently unable to achieve any meaningful breakthroughs on the battlefield, Putin's plan for 2026 looks set to focus on escalating bombardment of Ukrainian civilian infrastructure in a bid to make the country unlivable, write William Dixon and Maksym Beznosiuk.


Conflict

Defense Policy


UkraineAlert

Feb 24, 2026

Fiber-optic drones have emerged as critical kit for both Russia and Ukraine

By
Vlad Sutea

Fiber-optic drones may not replace conventional unmanned systems, but they have established themselves in Ukraine as a durable component of the modern battlefield toolkit, writes Vlad Sutea.


Conflict

Defense Industry


UkraineAlert

Feb 24, 2026

Ukrainians don’t want to be resilient. Putin has given them no other choice.

By
Peter Dickinson

For the past four years, Ukrainians have been praised for their remarkable resilience, but in reality most recognize that Russia's genocidal invasion leaves them with no real choice but to fight on, writes Peter Dickinson.


Conflict

Disinformation


UkraineAlert

Feb 20, 2026

After four years of Russia’s invasion, time to stop underestimating Ukraine

By
Mykola Bielieskov

As Russia's invasion of Ukraine enters a fifth year, it is time to stop underestimating the Ukrainian military and recognize that Kyiv is now a major military power with plenty of trump cards in its possession, writes Mykola Bielieskov.


Conflict

Defense Technologies

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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

What a Little Girl and an Aging Pop Star Can Teach Us about Russian Propaganda

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

What a Little Girl and an Aging Pop Star Can Teach Us about Russian Propaganda

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

What a Little Girl and an Aging Pop Star Can Teach Us about Russian Propaganda

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 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

UkraineAlert

Nov 2, 2018

Making Sense of Russia’s New Draconian Sanctions on Ukraine

By Anders Åslund

On November 1, the Russian government imposed severe economic sanctions on 322 Ukrainian individuals and 68 Ukrainian companies. These are the most extensive sanctions imposed by any country in the tit-for-tat confrontation between Russia and Western countries over Ukraine. Curiously, these sanctions are explicitly only economic, declaring that any assets on the territory of the […]

Russia Ukraine

UkraineAlert

Nov 1, 2018

Russia Understands Ukraine’s Geopolitical Importance but Does the West?

By Peter Dickinson

As Ukraine prepares to mark five years since the start of the country’s Euromaidan protests, the repercussions continue to reverberate across the globe. What began as an ordinary protest movement soon morphed into a revolution that sparked a Russian invasion and ushered in a new Cold War. Without the Euromaidan, Russia and the West would […]

Russia Ukraine
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