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

Latest analysis


UkraineAlert

May 30, 2023

Ukraine’s Diia platform sets the global gold standard for e-government

By
Anatoly Motkin

Ukraine's Diia app is widely seen as the world's first next-generation e-government platform, and is credited with implementing what many see as a more human-centric government service model, writes Anatoly Motkin.


Civil Society


Conflict


UkraineAlert

May 30, 2023

Russia’s new reality: Less Peter the Great, more Putin the Pariah

By
Peter Dickinson

The invasion of Ukraine has left Russia greatly diminished on the world stage and earned Putin a place in infamy alongside history’s greatest criminals. Instead of emulating Peter the Great, he has become Putin the Pariah, writes Peter Dickinson.


Conflict


Disinformation


UkraineAlert

May 27, 2023

Exploring the secrets of Ukraine’s successful wartime diplomacy

By
Yuna Potomkina

Over the past 15 months, Ukraine has built an international coalition of partners prepared to arm the country against Russia's invasion. This unprecedented diplomatic success offers important lessons, writes Yuna Potomkina.


Conflict


Defense Technologies


UkraineAlert

May 27, 2023

Ukraine must reduce role of state in the economy to boost EU integration

By
David Clark

Ukraine has conducted a number of nationalizations as part of the war effort but the state should now be looking to reduce its role in the Ukrainian economy in order to advance the process of EU integration, writes David Clark.


Conflict


Corruption


UkraineAlert

May 25, 2023

Russian narratives ignore real reasons for Western support of Ukraine

By
Richard Cashman

Russian attempts to explain away Western support for Ukraine with conspiracy theories and outdated arguments are falling flat as the democratic world continues to oppose Moscow's invasion, writes Richard Cashman.


Conflict


Democratic Transitions


UkraineAlert

May 23, 2023

Belgorod raid sparks border alarm for Russia ahead of Ukrainian offensive

By
Peter Dickinson

This week's unprecedented cross-border raid into Russia's Belgorod Oblast could be part of Ukrainian shaping operations designed to stretch the Russian military ahead of a coming counteroffensive, writes Peter Dickinson.


Conflict


Defense Policy


UkraineAlert

May 23, 2023

Ukraine’s coming counteroffensive has a good chance of succeeding

By
Richard D. Hooker, Jr.

Ukraine's coming counteroffensive has a great chance of succeeding due to a number of factors including superior leadership, equipment upgrades, and strong morale, writes Richard D. Hooker, Jr.


Conflict


Defense Technologies


UkraineAlert

May 23, 2023

China, Iran, Belarus, and Armenia all fear a Russian defeat in Ukraine

By
Taras Kuzio

China, Iran, Belarus, and Armenia all have different motivations for backing the Kremlin, but they are united by a common fear of what a Russian defeat in Ukraine might mean for their own countries, writes Taras Kuzio.


Belarus


China


UkraineAlert

May 18, 2023

Ukraine’s European integration is the key to a sustainable peace

By
Stephen Nix, Zachary Popovich

Ukraine's full integration into the institutions of the Western world is the only way to end the threat of ongoing Russian aggression and secure a sustainable peace in Europe, write Stephen Nix and Zachary Popovich.


Conflict


European Union


UkraineAlert

May 18, 2023

Ukraine’s growing defense tech prowess can help defeat Russia

By
Mykhailo Fedorov

While Russia relies on the brute force of artillery bombardments and human wave tactics, Ukraine is waging an innovative form of warfare that utilizes a range of highly creative tech solutions, writes Mykhailo Fedorov.


Conflict


Defense Industry

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.

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.

Follow us on social media
and support our work

Content

UkraineAlert

Sep 20, 2018

Meet the young talent that will outlast and might outdo Ukraine’s old guard

By Marta Sydoryak

Ukrainian Leadership Academy seeks to raise up a generation of talented young people who are already taking responsibility for their country in order to influence Ukraine’s reform process and politics. Its strategy is long-term.  

Ukraine Youth

UkraineAlert

Sep 18, 2018

The Geopolitical Divorce of the Century: Why Putin Cannot Afford to Let Ukraine Go

By Peter Dickinson

Next month, Europe’s leading budget airline will begin regular flights from Ukraine to a host of EU destinations. This is the latest milestone in a Ukrainian aviation boom that is seeing additional routes announced on a weekly basis and record passenger numbers at airports across the country. Each new flight serves to broaden Ukrainian horizons […]

Russia Ukraine

UkraineAlert

Sep 17, 2018

Six Steps to Move Ukraine Forward Before the 2019 Elections

By Olena Prokopenko

Ukraine has less than four months before the presidential campaign season begins in earnest on December 31. The media is already full of populist promises and ads defaming political competitors. Outdoor advertising is dominated by catchy slogans and the old faces of party leaders. TV channels are being redistributed between their oligarch owners. What can […]

Ukraine

UkraineAlert

Sep 17, 2018

Deep Dive: How Ukraine’s Presidential Candidates Plan to Win

By Olexiy Minakov

Ukraine’s presidential campaign season has unofficially begun. Almost half a year before the presidential race in March 2019, candidates have already settled on basic strategies. Let’s analyze their messages—how they separate themselves from their competitors and try to create an attractive image, what ideas “sell,” how they struggle with criticism, negativity, compromise, and ultimately, how […]

Russia Ukraine

UkraineAlert

Sep 11, 2018

Why We Must Speak Out about Oleg Sentsov Now

By Natalia Arno

Oleg Sentsov, a Ukrainian filmmaker imprisoned by Russian forces in 2014, is on the verge of death. More than one hundred days ago, he began a hunger strike to demand that Russian President Vladimir Putin free sixty-four Ukrainian political prisoners being held in Russia.  Since then, Sentsov has lost almost 70 pounds and suffered cardiac complications. In early August, he confided to his lawyer that “the end was near” and this […]

UkraineAlert

Sep 10, 2018

Why Independence for Ukraine’s Orthodox Church Is an Earthquake for Putin

By Taras Kuzio

The creation of an autocephalous Ukrainian Orthodox Church is Ukraine’s ultimate answer to Putin’s aggression.

Civil Society Russia

UkraineAlert

Sep 10, 2018

New Law Invites Corruption but Ukraine’s Government Is Actually Fixing It

By Paul Thomas

Corruption remains Ukraine’s greatest scourge. But while there are ample examples of it around the country, signs are emerging that government is heeding civil society’s cries for change. A new tax policy implemented in July 2018 is a key example: the fight to change this policy in order to directly reduce corruption is being waged […]

Ukraine

UkraineAlert

Sep 10, 2018

How to Lose a Presidential Election Before It Even Starts: Ukraine’s Top Reform Party Turns on Itself

By Melinda Haring

Ukraine’s Maidan reformers had a real shot at reaching a tipping point and changing the country once and for all. In 2014, the reform-oriented Samopomich party, led by Lviv Mayor Andriy Sadovyi, performed far better than expected in the parliamentary elections just a few months after street protests ejected pro-Russian President Victor Yanukovych. The Lviv-based […]

Ukraine

UkraineAlert

Sep 7, 2018

Why Does the Press Still Take Moscow at Its Word?

By Paul Niland

Reporting on the recent killing of Alexander Zakharchenko in Donetsk, Ukraine, has enraged many, and with good reason. Far too many reports from top outlets included the phrase or something similar, “Moscow denies sending regular troops and heavy weaponry to Ukraine, the rebels, or separatists.” Of course, Moscow regularly issues such denials. However, the time […]

Russia Ukraine

UkraineAlert

Sep 7, 2018

Forget Javelins. What Ukraine Needs to Get Putin’s Attention

By Stephen Blank

US Ambassador Kurt Volker recently toldThe Guardian that the United States was prepared to offer Ukraine new weapons to defend itself. There is no doubt that Ukraine needs these weapons; in the Sea of Azov and the Black Sea, Moscow is waging a simultaneous military and economic war against Kyiv. It has blockaded the Sea […]

Russia Ukraine