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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 23, 2024

Russian bombardment of Ukraine’s power grid may force millions to flee

By
Olga Aivazovska, Andriy Savchuk

Russia’s new bombing campaign aims to destroy Ukraine’s civilian infrastructure and depopulate the country by rendering entire regions uninhabitable, write Olga Aivazovska and Andriy Savchuk.

Conflict
Geopolitics & Energy Security


UkraineAlert

Apr 21, 2024

‘A bad day for Putin’: US aid vote gives Ukrainians renewed hope

By
Peter Dickinson

Ukrainians let out a collective sigh of relief on Saturday as the US House of Representatives passed a long-delayed $61 billion aid bill that will provide Ukraine with a crucial lifeline in the struggle against Russian aggression, writes Peter Dickinson.

Conflict
Defense Industry


UkraineAlert

Apr 19, 2024

Experts on the REPO Act: A good deal for the United States and for Ukraine

By
John E. Herbst

Experts evaluate what the provisions of the REPO Act would mean for Ukraine, the United States, and the rest of the world.

Economic Sanctions
International Financial Institutions


UkraineAlert

Apr 18, 2024

Putin’s plan to depopulate Ukraine

By
Peter Dickinson

Vladimir Putin’s new plan for victory in Ukraine appears to rely on a strategic bombing campaign to render entire regions of the country uninhabitable, writes Peter Dickinson.

Conflict
Geopolitics & Energy Security


UkraineAlert

Apr 18, 2024

Grassroots diplomacy can help unlock international support for Ukraine

By
Benton Coblentz

Washington State’s ambitious new Sister State Agreement with Kyiv Oblast offers an attractive model that others can follow, both in the US and beyond, writes Benton Coblentz.

Civil Society
Conflict


UkraineAlert

Apr 17, 2024

US House resolution: Russian abduction of Ukrainian children is genocide

By
Kristina Hook, Christopher Atwood

A recent US House resolution clearly articulates Russia’s genocidal crimes in Ukraine. Western leaders must now follow such statements with the necessary actions, write Kristina Hook and Christopher Atwood.

Conflict
Freedom and Prosperity


UkraineAlert

Apr 16, 2024

Western fear of escalation will hand Putin an historic victory in Ukraine

By
Mykola Bielieskov

The West’s self-defeating fear of escalation has allowed Russia to regain the initiative in Ukraine and is now threatening to hand Putin an historic victory, writes Mykola Bielieskov.

Conflict
Disinformation


UkraineAlert

Apr 16, 2024

Ukrainian nuclear energy can fuel country’s recovery and power Europe

By
Suriya Evans-Pritchard Jayanti

Ukraine’s nuclear energy industry could help fuel the country’s reconstruction and power Europe’s energy transition, writes Suriya Evans-Pritchard Jayanti.

Conflict
Economy & Business


UkraineAlert

Apr 15, 2024

Organizing for victory

By
Ben Hodges

In the escalating struggle against Putin’s Russia, Iran, and China, The West needs a return to the clarity of Churchill and Roosevelt, who communicated clear strategic priorities to the public, industry, and the military, writes Ben Hodges.

Conflict
Defense Industry


UkraineAlert

Apr 11, 2024

Ukraine pleads for Patriot air defense systems as Russia destroys power grid

By
Peter Dickinson

Officials in Kyiv are calling on partners to urgently supply Patriot systems as Russia capitalizes on Ukraine’s weakening air defenses to methodically destroy the country’s power grid, writes Peter Dickinson.

Conflict
Defense Technologies

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

May 16, 2018

Do Ukraine’s Reformers Have a Real Shot at the Presidency?

By Melinda Haring

Ukraine’s opposition is a mess—but this is hardly news. Through Ukraine’s nearly three decades of independence, its opposition has never gotten its act together. Consequently, the same corrupt elite continues to govern the country of 45 million to its detriment. Ukraine managed to squander the gains of its street revolution in 2004, and as the […]

Ukraine

UkraineAlert

May 15, 2018

What Does Ukraine’s New Military Approach Toward the Donbas Mean?

By Vera Zimmerman

Ukraine wants to reframe its approach to resolving the ongoing conflict with Russia. Beginning last month, the military is now in charge of ground operations. The launch of the Joint Forces Operation (JFO) replaced the four-year Anti-Terrorism Operation (ATO) and marks Ukraine’s shift to a more active defense. President Petro Poroshenko thinks that the new […]

Russia Ukraine

UkraineAlert

May 15, 2018

The Only Way to Improve Ukraine’s Courts

By Mykhailo Zhernakov

No state can function without justice, and Ukraine is no exception.  For years, corruption and the absence of justice, together with Russian military aggression, have held back the country. After four years of struggle and numerous pieces of legislation, there has been little progress. Ukraine started out with a good idea: reformers wanted to create […]

Ukraine

UkraineAlert

May 14, 2018

Absurd Price Hikes and Epic Hospitality: Kyiv’s Champions League Showcases Best and Worst of Ukraine

By Peter Dickinson

Kyiv’s preparations to host the 2018 Champions League Final on May 26 have been something of a rollercoaster ride that has highlighted the very best and worst of Ukraine. The international media buildup to the big match began with a flurry of negative stories criticizing Ukrainian hoteliers and apartment rental services for inflating prices to […]

Ukraine

UkraineAlert

May 9, 2018

No Longer a Soldier: Ukraine’s Returned Volunteers Are Embracing Second and Third Careers

By Ruslan Minich

“Finding myself in Kyiv now, I smell blood and diesel from time to time. These triggers will always be there,” says Alina Viatkina, a paramedic for the volunteer Hospitallers Medical Battalion. “But you can’t lose control for three days every time. You are learning how to calm yourself: OK, this is the smell of blood. […]

Ukraine

UkraineAlert

May 9, 2018

Ukraine’s Least Celebrated Oligarch-Free Institution That You Haven’t Heard Of

By Oksana Bedratenko

As Ukraine’s economy begins to grow modestly, its Central Bank is striving to become an anchor of stability. The country needs to preserve the fragile macroeconomic stability it has achieved and use the upswing in the global economy to conduct reforms and stimulate economic growth. The task, however, still meets formidable obstacles; a number of […]

Ukraine

UkraineAlert

May 9, 2018

Unreality TV: Why the Kremlin’s Lies Stick

By Diane Francis

In 2014, Russian-backed rebels used a Moscow-supplied missile to shoot down Malaysia Airlines flight 17 over eastern Ukraine, killing all 298 people on board. Russian state TV made wild claims such as the passengers were already dead, a Ukrainian fighter jet shot down the plane, and the CIA was behind the plot. Since 2016, Russian […]

Russia Ukraine

UkraineAlert

May 8, 2018

Here’s How Ukraine Should Remember Victory Day

By Iuliia Mendel

Ukraine’s post-Maidan leadership has focused on building patriotism to unite the nation as it suffered from turbulence and war. The patriotism that emerged from the Euromaidan promoted a nationalistic symbolism that rejected and replaced the prevailing Russian and Soviet identities. But instead of uniting the country, the current effort has expanded the divide between Ukrainians […]

Ukraine

UkraineAlert

May 4, 2018

Why the Bucharest Summit Still Matters Ten Years On

By Walter Zaryckyj

A decade ago, I received a four word message from a close German acquaintance who had accompanied Chancellor Angela Merkel to the NATO summit in Bucharest, Romania, that was tasked to decide whether to provide Georgia and Ukraine with a NATO Membership Action Plan (MAP). It read: “Yes, but not now!” Having just seen a […]

Moldova Russia

UkraineAlert

May 3, 2018

The Window for Reform May Be Closing in Ukraine, But It’s Still Wide Open in Kyiv

By Diane Francis

Countries like Ukraine, afflicted with systemic corruption, need new leaders at the top, but also those willing to engage in erecting bulwarks against graft at the local level. And while the president and parliament disappoint and foot drag on implementing major revolutionary reforms, real change at the Kyiv City Council, the biggest local government in […]

Ukraine