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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

Jan 4, 2024

To defeat Putin in a long war, Ukraine must switch to active defense in 2024

By
Mykola Bielieskov

By embracing a strategy of active defense in 2024, Kyiv can achieve the twin goals of preventing any major Russian advances and creating conditions that strongly favor Ukraine in what is increasingly a war of attrition, writes Mykola Bielieskov.

Conflict
Defense Policy


UkraineAlert

Jan 4, 2024

Russia’s invasion aims to erase Ukrainian cultural identity

By
Martha Holder

Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine seeks to destroy Ukraine’s national heritage and erase Ukrainian identity. The authorities in Kyiv should respond by placing Ukrainian culture at the heart of the country’s recovery efforts, writes Martha Holder.

Civil Society
Conflict


UkraineAlert

Jan 4, 2024

Belarus opposition are key allies in the fight against Russian imperialism

By
Tatsiana Kulakevich, Michael Berg

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine dominates Europe’s geopolitical agenda, but neighboring Belarus is also a critical battleground in the fight back against Putin’s resurgent brand of Russian imperialism, write Tatsiana Kulakevich and Michael Berg.

Belarus
Civil Society


UkraineAlert

Jan 2, 2024

Ukraine needs urgent air defense aid as Putin launches bombing campaign

By
Peter Dickinson

As Russia launches a long-awaited new bombing campaign against Ukrainian cities, fears are mounting that deadlock over continued US and EU military aid may soon leave Ukraine facing critical air defense shortages, writes Peter Dickinson.

Conflict
Defense Technologies


UkraineAlert

Jan 2, 2024

Ukraine’s wartime economy is performing surprisingly well

By
Anders Åslund

The Ukrainian government is to be congratulated for its considerable accomplishments on the economic front while defending itself against Europe’s largest invasion since World War II, writes Anders Åslund.

Conflict
Economy & Business


UkraineAlert

Dec 21, 2023

Putin scents historic victory amid growing signs of Western weakness

By
Peter Dickinson

Recent indications of growing Russian confidence in victory over Ukraine owe much more to Western weakness than to the Kremlin’s own military might, writes Peter Dickinson.

Conflict
Defense Technologies


UkraineAlert

Dec 20, 2023

Ukrainian telecoms hack highlights cyber dangers of Russia’s invasion

By
Mercedes Sapuppo

An unprecedented December 12 cyber attack on Ukraine’s largest telecoms operator Kyivstar left tens of millions of Ukrainians without mobile services and underlined the cyber warfare potential of Russia’s ongoing invasion, writes Mercedes Sapuppo.

Conflict
Cybersecurity


UkraineAlert

Dec 19, 2023

Wartime Ukraine’s European energy integration continues

By
Aura Sabadus

Ukraine has been invited to join Europe’s leading electricity infrastructure association in January 2024 as the country’s remarkable wartime European energy sector integration continues, writes Aura Sabadus.

Conflict
Energy Markets & Governance


UkraineAlert

Dec 19, 2023

Ukraine’s EU accession process faces bureaucratic and political hurdles

By
James Batchik

The European Council’s recent decision to open accession negotiations with Ukraine was a momentous moment both for Kyiv and the European Union. Now the serious work begins, writes James Batchik.

Civil Society
Conflict


UkraineAlert

Dec 18, 2023

Support Ukraine today or fight Russia tomorrow

By
Oleksandr Zavitnevych

The threat posed by Vladimir Putin’s revisionist agenda can no longer be downplayed or denied. Instead, the choice facing Western leaders is simple: Support Ukraine today or fight Russia tomorrow, writes Oleksandr Zavitnevych.

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

Jul 3, 2018

How the Tymoshenko We All Know Is Changing

By Mykola Vorobiov

On June 20, Yulia Tymoshenko officially announced that she’s running for president, which is no great surprise. The former prime minister tops the polls and it’s her race to lose.

Ukraine

UkraineAlert

Jul 3, 2018

Exclusive: New Party Enters Fray as Ukraine’s Opposition Tries to Unify

By Melinda Haring

Ukraine’s got a real chance to elect a reform-minded president if Western-leaning opposition parties unify. A dozen political consultants and smart Ukraine hands have told me that campaign funds will come if there’s unity, and with nearly 40 percent of voters still undecided, there’s still time to court voters ahead of the March 2019 presidential […]

Ukraine

UkraineAlert

Jul 2, 2018

Q&A: Will Trump Give Away Crimea at Helsinki?

By Melinda Haring

On June 29, President Donald Trump told reporters that he hasn’t ruled out recognizing Russia’s illegal annexation of Ukraine’s Crimea in 2014. Trump is set to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin in Helsinki on July 16 and many worry that he may gamble away Crimea. US policy on Crimea has been consistent since 2014, and […]

Russia Ukraine

UkraineAlert

Jun 29, 2018

Forget Defense Spending Debates. Here’s What NATO Summit Should Focus On

By Stephen Blank

From the standpoint of defense spending, Russia’s navy might be thought of as the neglected stepchild of the Russian military. But that conclusion would be wrong. That’s especially true if one considers its recent deployments and activities; in the past year, Russia has actively and strategically utilized its navy to send clear signals to its […]

Russia Ukraine

UkraineAlert

Jun 28, 2018

Is Putin Planning a Post-World Cup Surprise?

By James Brooke

A Russia-Ukraine water war may emerge after the World Cup final on July 15. Just as President Vladimir Putin made his move to invade Crimea immediately after the conclusion of the Winter Olympics in Sochi, he could decide that it is once again time for decisive action after the Russia-hosted World Cup wraps up. Currently, […]

Russia Ukraine

UkraineAlert

Jun 28, 2018

Ukraine Sacks Finance Minister. Will the New One Be Any Good?

By Oksana Bedratenko

Ukraine’s Finance Ministry doesn’t get enough credit. For four years it has been key to avoiding the worst of the economic downturn and attaining macroeconomic stability as the country continues to respond to Russian aggression. The Finance Ministry is in the spotlight again.

Ukraine

UkraineAlert

Jun 27, 2018

What Ukraine Needs Now

By Diane Francis

A prominent Ukrainian journalist Dmytro Gnap just threw his hat in the ring as a presidential candidate, and threw a spanner in the best laid plans of the country’s corrupt politicians and oligarchs. He has been an activist and a victim of the country’s corruption and is running because he’s fed up. He has exposed […]

Ukraine

UkraineAlert

Jun 26, 2018

Finally Some Good News from Ukraine

By Melinda Haring

It’s been six months since I’ve seen Ukraine’s most energetic minister, Dr. Ulana Suprun, and she’s been busy. Her comprehensive efforts to overhaul Ukraine’s dysfunctional health system are going well, she assures me. It’s the first time I’ve heard this statement about any reform anywhere in Kyiv.

Ukraine

UkraineAlert

Jun 26, 2018

What Ukraine’s Anticorruption Warriors Forget, And Why It May Weaken the State

By Adrian Karatnycky and Alexander J. Motyl

Daria Kaleniuk’s rejoinder to our Foreign Affairs article, “How Western Anticorruption Policy Is Failing Ukraine,” misses our main point. We asserted that Western anticorruption policy was failing because it had been improperly sequenced, especially with regard to judicial reform. Kaleniuk indirectly admits this by pointing to the urgent need to create an anticorruption court three years […]

Ukraine

UkraineAlert

Jun 26, 2018

Democracy Is Under Major Attack in Moldova. Is Anyone Paying Attention?

By Dumitru Alaiba

Last week a court in Moldova’s capital of Chișinău annulled the popular vote in local elections, which were won by pro-European opposition leader Andrei Năstase. The formal grounds for canceling the results are absurd; on election day the candidate urged people to vote on social media. This is no reason to block an elected official […]

Moldova