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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

Nov 19, 2020

Taming Ukraine’s oligarchs

By
Serhiy Verlanov

Serhiy Verlanov argues that until Ukraine has the political will to take on the country's all-powerful oligarchs, there is little chance of realizing the potential that has remained untapped since 1991.


Corruption


Democratic Transitions


UkraineAlert

Nov 19, 2020

Ukraine’s new privatization faces array of old obstacles

By
Diane Francis

Ukraine's State Property Fund has revamped the country's privatization process and hopes to sell off hundreds of state-owned enterprises but faces opposition from those benefiting from corruption.


Corruption


Economy & Business


UkraineAlert

Nov 18, 2020

Mayoral races in Ukraine: City-by-city runoff preview

By
Brian Mefford

Ukrainians will vote this weekend to elect mayors in a number of big cities across the country as the current local election cycle comes to a close with incumbents heavily favored to do well.


Elections


Ukraine


UkraineAlert

Nov 17, 2020

Ukraine can learn from Azerbaijan’s recent victory

By
Taras Kuzio

Azerbaijan’s recent victory over Armenia offers some potentially important lessons for Ukraine, which is home to the most recent of the many little wars to erupt amid the ruins of the Soviet Empire.


Conflict


Security & Defense


UkraineAlert

Nov 16, 2020

Coronavirus crisis exposes Ukraine’s healthcare failures

By
Brian Mefford

The secondary phase of Ukraine's landmark healthcare reforms is being neglected by the government as the country suffers from faltering leadership in the fight against the coronavirus crisis.


Coronavirus


Ukraine


UkraineAlert

Nov 14, 2020

What can Ukraine expect from a Biden presidency?

By
Peter Dickinson

Joe Biden's US presidential election victory was welcomed by many Ukrainians who felt that bilateral ties had suffered during the Trump presidency despite continued bipartisan US support for Ukraine.


Conflict


Elections


UkraineAlert

Nov 13, 2020

Ukrainian local elections: City-by-city guide to this weekend’s runoff votes

By
Brian Mefford

On November 15, Ukrainians will vote in mayoral runoff contests in six major cities in the second round of the country's local elections. Here is a rundown of what to expect from this Sunday's ballot.


Elections


Ukraine


UkraineAlert

Nov 12, 2020

Shevchenko silences critics: Ukraine’s finest ever player earns respect as a manager

By
Mark Temnycky

Andriy Shevchenko is one of Ukraine's most celebrated footballers but few expected much when he was appointed as national team manager in 2016. Shevchenko has since proved his doubters wrong.


Ukraine


UkraineAlert

Nov 11, 2020

Putin’s Karabakh victory sparks alarm in Ukraine

By
Anders Åslund

Russian President Vladimir Putin appears to have achieved a significant victory in Nagorno-Karabakh that promises to alter the geopolitical balance throughout the former Soviet space in his favor.


Conflict


Peacekeeping and Peacebuilding


UkraineAlert

Nov 9, 2020

Ukraine will never reform until oligarchs lose power

By
Serhiy Verlanov

A counter-revolution is currently underway in Ukraine that highlights the difficulties of achieving genuine change in a society which is still dominated by a small group of extremely wealthy and influential oligarchs.


Corruption


Democratic Transitions

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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.

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

Dec 17, 2018

How to Speak about Ukraine’s Future and Tymoshenko in the West

By Andreas Umland

My recent article “What Would a Tymoshenko Presidency Mean?” caused indignation among numerous experts and journalists in Ukraine and indigestion among some in Washington. Obviously, there are a number of problems with Yulia Tymoshenko and her presidential bid, such as her leftish populist slogans and the financial sources behind her expensive campaign. Yet, the fact […]

Russia Ukraine

UkraineAlert

Dec 13, 2018

Is Russia About to Invade Ukraine?

By Alexander J. Motyl

Vladimir Putin must be kicking himself. Four years ago, he could have invaded and seized most of Ukraine in a few weeks. Believing that Ukrainians were an “artificial” nation led by “fascists,” however, he figured an invasion was unnecessary and the state would collapse on its own. Now, Ukrainians are daily demonstrating their desire to […]

Russia Ukraine

UkraineAlert

Dec 12, 2018

Hunger for Change in Ukraine, but Not Much on the Menu

By Ruslan Minich

On billboards throughout Ukraine is the phrase, “The president is the servant of the people.” But is this the teaser for a TV series with the same title—or a serious political campaign for its star, who may or may not be running for president? On the most viewed series in Ukraine, Servant of the People, […]

Ukraine

UkraineAlert

Dec 12, 2018

Why Pro-Russian Candidates Won’t Win Ukraine’s 2019 Elections

By Taras Kuzio

Those who believe Ukraine has not fundamentally changed since the launch of Russia’s military aggression are dead wrong. In fact, the 2019 elections will clearly illustrate that pro-Russian candidates have not only lost significant support, they will barely win any national offices. Pro-Russian candidates are hampered from achieving success in the 2019 parliamentary and presidential […]

Russia Ukraine

UkraineAlert

Dec 11, 2018

How to Weaken Putin’s Hand (The Answer Isn’t What You Think)

By Andreas Umland

Ukraine is making international headlines again. Conflict in the Black Sea, war in eastern Ukraine, new anti-corruption institutions, and the imminent independence of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church have been widely reported and hotly discussed. But one important topic has gone largely unnoticed in the West—Ukraine’s ongoing local governance reform. The transformation of Ukraine’s administrative structure […]

Russia Ukraine

UkraineAlert

Dec 11, 2018

Ukraine’s Maidan Opposition Is Finally Getting Organized, but Will It Make Any Difference?

By Melinda Haring

On December 7, about two hundred fifty Ukrainians gathered in Kyiv for the launch of a new social movement that looks set to become Ukraine’s first liberal political party. People Matter is basing its platform on minimizing the role of government in the economy and reorienting the entire state around the concept of service; in American […]

Ukraine

UkraineAlert

Dec 3, 2018

Anti-Corruption Reformer Ready for Round Two

By Viola Gienger

Olena Tregub spent more than two years working around the clock to help revitalize her moribund government ministry in Ukraine. As director of international aid coordination for the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade, her mission was to bring some transparency to $12 billion of foreign assistance pouring into the country after 2014. Tracking assistance, […]

UkraineAlert

Dec 1, 2018

From the Azov Sea to Washington DC: How Russophobia Became Russia’s Leading Export

By Peter Dickinson

Vladimir Putin had a simple explanation for the wave of international condemnation that engulfed Moscow in the wake of Russia’s November 25 Black Sea attack on the Ukrainian Navy. According to the Kremlin leader, it was all Ukraine’s doing. “Kyiv is actively stirring up anti-Russian sentiment,” he lamented. “That’s all they have—and it works.” This […]

Russia Ukraine

UkraineAlert

Nov 30, 2018

How the West Got Martial Law in Ukraine Totally Wrong

By John E. Herbst

The past several days have been historic ones in Ukraine’s development as a sovereign and democratic nation. Moscow’s unprovoked attack on and seizure of three Ukrainian ships in the Black Sea on November 25 began this process. This attack represents a serious escalation of Kremlin aggression because it was done openly by regular Russian military […]

Russia Ukraine

UkraineAlert

Nov 30, 2018

What Would a Tymoshenko Presidency Mean?

By Andreas Umland

Many Western observers would like to see a change in Ukrainian leadership following the 2019 presidential and parliamentary elections. Some would prefer to see a young MP from parliament’s Euro-Optimists group become president; others hope the country’s next leader will come from one of Ukraine’s new parties, such as Democratic Alliance or Power of the […]

Russia Ukraine