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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

Jul 18, 2021

Naftogaz corporate governance is a national priority for Ukraine

By
Andriy Boytsun

In recent months, developments at Ukraine’s national energy company, Naftogaz, have raised concerns over the country's broader post-Maidan drive to reform corporate governance at state-owned enterprises


Corruption


Energy Markets & Governance


UkraineAlert

Jul 15, 2021

Is Kazakhstan experiencing the early stages of a democratic awakening?

By
Rustam Kypshakbayev

While it is too early to speak of a democratic awakening in Kazakhstan, current trends suggest that the country may be moving in that direction. This could have major repercussions for the wider region.


Central Asia


Civil Society


UkraineAlert

Jul 15, 2021

Putin’s new Ukraine essay reveals imperial ambitions

By
Peter Dickinson

Russian President Vladimir Putin has outlined the historical basis for his claims against Ukraine in a controversial new essay that has been likened in some quarters to a declaration of war.


Conflict


Disinformation


UkraineAlert

Jul 13, 2021

The world cannot ignore Putin’s Ukraine obsession

By
Peter Dickinson

Russian President Vladimir Putin has published a new essay on the "historical unity" of Russians and Ukrainians that illustrates the imperial thinking behind his ongoing seven-year war against Ukraine.


Conflict


Disinformation


UkraineAlert

Jul 13, 2021

Ukraine’s Security Service reform plans under threat

By
Olena Scherban and Olena Halushka

Ukrainian MPs will vote on reform of the Ukrainian Security Service (SBU) later this week, but serious questions remain over the effectiveness of the draft law in its current form.


Corruption


Democratic Transitions


UkraineAlert

Jul 10, 2021

Putin will use weaponized pipeline to blackmail Europe

By
Inna Sovsun

Vladimir Putin makes little secret of his plans to use the Nord Stream 2 pipeline as a geopolitical weapon, but will Western leaders act before the energy infrastructure project enters service in the coming months?


European Union


Geopolitics & Energy Security


UkraineAlert

Jul 10, 2021

Will Zelenskyy target all Ukrainian oligarchs equally?

By
David Clark

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy recently unveiled plans to curb the political influence of the country's powerful oligarchs, but skeptics question whether he will target oligarch ally Ihor Kolomoisky.


Corruption


Democratic Transitions


UkraineAlert

Jul 9, 2021

Why Germany’s relationship with Putin’s Russia is a problem for Ukraine

By
John Lough

When Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy meets German Chancellor Angela Merkel on July 12, they will find plenty of common ground in their analysis of Russia and their difficult relationships with Vladimir Putin.


Conflict


Germany


UkraineAlert

Jul 7, 2021

Biden faces further battle over Putin’s pipeline

By
Diane Francis

President Biden’s efforts to strike a deal with Germany over Putin’s Nord Stream 2 pipeline are encountering fresh opposition as the Kremlin underlines its readiness to use energy supplies as a geopolitical weapon.


Geopolitics & Energy Security


Germany


UkraineAlert

Jul 7, 2021

Escape from empire: Ukraine’s post-Soviet national awakening

By
Taras Kuzio

The evolution of Ukrainian national identity since 1991 has had repercussions far beyond Ukraine’s borders that have transformed the geopolitical climate and plunged the world into a new Cold War.


Conflict


Education

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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.

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Content

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

UkraineAlert

Nov 1, 2018

Ukrainian Populists Still Think They Can Be Pro-EU but Anti-IMF. They’re Wrong.

By Taras Kuzio

Ukrainian voters have long believed that in her drive for power, long-time politician Yulia Tymoshenko will do and say anything. This is not unusual for populists who routinely make promises that cannot be met and are flexible with the truth. That characteristic has been on display since Tymoshenko announced her intention to run for the […]

Ukraine

UkraineAlert

Oct 31, 2018

Georgia, Where Everything Old Is Maybe New Again?

By Luis Navarro

On October 28, Georgians went to the polls to elect their fifth president, possibly for the last time. Neither candidate, both former foreign ministers, won outright. An unprecedented run-off is slated for December 2.    The United National Movement (UNM) presidential candidate Grigol Vashadze achieved an unexpectedly strong showing (37.7 percent) against the ruling Georgian […]

Russia The Caucasus

UkraineAlert

Oct 30, 2018

10 Names Russia Hopes You’ll Never Know

By Vitalii Rybak

Since Russia annexed Crimea in 2014, Moscow and its proxies have put dozens of Ukrainian and Crimean Tatar political prisoners behind bars. However, there are many other people in Russian prisons who have been incarcerated for their unwillingness to bow down to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s regime. The fabrication of these cases has been refined […]

Russia Ukraine

UkraineAlert

Oct 30, 2018

Five ways to entice Ukrainians to come home

By Andy Hunder

Approximately five million Ukrainians, roughly 25 percent of the country’s economically active population, work abroad.

Macroeconomics Migration

UkraineAlert

Oct 29, 2018

How Ukraine’s Presidential Race Is Shaping Up

By Mykola Vorobiov

Ukraine’s presidential race is in full swing, even though the official campaign period has not yet begun. At this point, incumbent President Petro Poroshenko and former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko may make the second round; no candidate is expected to take 50 percent in the first round. If elections were held now, Tymoshenko would take […]

Ukraine

UkraineAlert

Oct 24, 2018

Three More Reasons to Be Bullish on Ukraine

By Melinda Haring

Ukraine’s civil society is realizing an unfortunate fact: reforming the country is going to be more of a marathon than a sprint. Consequently, pro-reform advocates have had to adjust their expectations. Describing her hopes for the speed of change in Ukraine, Anticorruption Action Center executive director Daria Kaleniuk said that she and her colleagues now […]

Ukraine