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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 27, 2025

While Trump talks peace, Putin is escalating efforts to erase Ukraine

By
Peter Dickinson

Russian President Vladimir Putin has issued a decree this week calling for an escalation in efforts to erase all traces of Ukrainian identity from the approximately 20 percent of Ukraine currently under Kremlin control, writes Peter Dickinson.

Conflict
Human Rights


UkraineAlert

Nov 25, 2025

Trump’s latest Ukraine peace proposal sparks strong Republican reaction

By
Doug Klain

Congress is clearly eager to help Trump force Russia to end its war in Ukraine. Capitalizing on the revised peace framework agreed by US and Ukrainian negotiators will now require action from both sides of Pennsylvania Avenue, writes Doug Klain.

Conflict
Financial Sanctions and Economic Coercion


UkraineAlert

Nov 25, 2025

Russian imperial impunity is the key obstacle to a lasting peace in Ukraine

By
Kristina Hook

From Peter the Great to Stalin and Putin, generations of Russian tyrants have systematically directed violence at Ukrainians in ways that must be addressed in order to secure a lasting peace, writes Kristina Hook.

Conflict
Disinformation


UkraineAlert

Nov 25, 2025

Strengthening Ukraine’s wartime economy can set the stage for peace

By
Zahar Hryniv

The US and Europe must take steps to strengthen Ukraine’s economic resilience if they wish to convince Putin that his dreams of outlasting the West are futile and persuade Russia to begin serious peace negotiations, writes Zahar Hryniv.

Conflict
Economy & Business


UkraineAlert

Nov 20, 2025

Any serious Ukraine peace plan must address Putin’s imperial ambitions

By
Mykola Bielieskov

The new US plan to end the war in Ukraine fails to recognize that Putin is not driven by limited political goals. He believes he is engaged in an existential struggle to revive Russia’s great power status and will never accept a compromise peace, writes Mykola Bielieskov.

Conflict
Disinformation


UkraineAlert

Nov 20, 2025

Axis of authoritarians poses mounting threat on the global information front

By
William Dixon, Maksym Beznosiuk

The authoritarian axis that has taken shape since the onset of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine is currently setting new standards in terms of coordinated information operations across media platforms, write William Dixon and Maksym Beznosiuk.

China
Civil Society


UkraineAlert

Nov 18, 2025

Vladimir Putin fears entering Russian history as the man who lost Ukraine

By
Peter Dickinson

Throughout his reign, Kremlin dictator Vladimir Putin has become increasingly obsessed with the idea of erasing Ukrainian independence, but his decision to invade has backfired disastrously, eroding centuries of Russian influence and accelerating Ukraine’s European integration, writes Peter Dickinson.

Conflict
Democratic Transitions


UkraineAlert

Nov 17, 2025

Zelenskyy faces the biggest corruption scandal of his presidency

By
Suriya Evans-Pritchard Jayanti

Amid Russia’s ongoing invasion, Ukraine in now facing the largest corruption scandal of Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s presidency over alleged kickbacks in the graft-prone energy sector, writes Suriya Evans-Pritchard Jayanti.

Civil Society
Conflict


UkraineAlert

Nov 13, 2025

New study: Ukrainian-American businesses generate billions for US economy

By
Melinda Haring

Ukrainians in the United States are making a significant contribution to the US economy and are creating thousands of jobs according to a new study, writes Melinda Haring.

Conflict
Economy & Business


UkraineAlert

Nov 10, 2025

Ukraine’s drone war lesson for Europe: Technology is nothing without training

By
David Kirichenko

As Europe races to strengthen its defenses against the mounting threat posed by Russian drones, more and more countries are looking to learn from Ukraine’s unrivaled experience in the rapidly evolving art of drone warfare, writes David Kirichenko.

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

May 29, 2018

Richard Pipes: An Appreciation

By Stephen Blank

I was not a student of the late Richard Pipes, and I only met him once briefly, so I cannot claim any special relationship or unique insight into his personality and character. Nevertheless, he was and remains a model for historians of Russia and those who aspire to understand Russia as it really is.

Russia
Ukraine

UkraineAlert

May 29, 2018

Why I’m Still Doing Business in Ukraine

By Paul Niland

Ukraine is a challenging and confusing place to do business. At the same time, it’s also exciting and changing. I’ve been doing business in Ukraine for fifteen years, and while Ukraine has a bad reputation for international business, it deserves a second look.

Ukraine

UkraineAlert

May 29, 2018

Time to Cut Out the Middlemen in Ukraine Gas Trade

By Diane Francis

Four years after Ukrainians protested in the streets against jaw-dropping corruption, the most odious scheme of all—the corrupt natural gas market—continues to siphon billions from Ukraine. These proceeds underwrite a sophisticated bribery scheme in Russia and Ukraine, and more recently help subsidize Russia’s war and occupation against Ukraine. The heist was devised years ago by […]

Russia
Ukraine

UkraineAlert

May 25, 2018

Russian Armed Forces Downed Civilian Airline Four Years Ago, Investigators Conclude

By Michael Bociurkiw

The noose is finally closing on the people and structures behind the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17. Almost four years after the Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur-bound flight was shot down by a BUK missile over Ukraine, a clearer picture is emerging on the origin of the missile, its route to the firing zone in […]

Russia
Ukraine

UkraineAlert

May 24, 2018

Poroshenko’s Game to Avoid Anti-Corruption Court Continues

By Josh Cohen

Anyone who claims Ukraine’s reforms have failed ignores the type of cases the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) has been able to pursue. NABU represents Ukraine’s first government agency truly devoted to ending the impunity of corrupt, high-level officials. NABU continues to investigate and arrest senior officials previously considered untouchable. NABU faces one huge […]

Ukraine

UkraineAlert

May 24, 2018

Q&A: Why Are Things Heating Up in Ukraine Again?

By Melinda Haring

Violence is on the rise in eastern Ukraine again. There have been a number of civilian casualties and a massive number of ceasefire violations. Some have said that last week was the worst of all the fighting in 2018. Meanwhile, Ukraine’s army took control over the Donbas operation in April and the talks between US […]

Russia
Ukraine

UkraineAlert

May 24, 2018

Remembering Roman Kupchinsky on Memorial Day

By Melinda Haring

Of all the stories that I’ve written about Ukraine, none has provoked and continues to provoke choruses of thank yous than this piece I wrote three years ago about the life and legacy of Roman Kupchinsky. Each time I go to Kyiv, I meet another young journalist who Roman quietly mentored. On Monday, as the […]

Ukraine

UkraineAlert

May 22, 2018

Five Steps Ukraine Should Take Now to Free Their Hostages in Russia

By Josh Cohen

Perhaps no one in Kyiv faces a more difficult task than First Vice-Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada Iryna Herashchenko. Herashchenko is Ukraine’s lead negotiator tasked with freeing Ukrainians held captive in the Donbas. The Ukrainian government and Russia’s separatist proxies in eastern Ukraine exchanged nearly 400 prisoners in late 2017—a notable achievement for which Herashchenko […]

Ukraine

UkraineAlert

May 21, 2018

Former Defense Minister Hrytsenko Is Finally Having His Moment in the Sun

By Vitalii Rybak

Anatoliy Hrytsenko, Ukraine’s defense minister from 2005 to 2007, is finally having his moment in the sun. The latest poll shows that 12.7 percent of Ukrainians who have made up their minds would vote for Hrytsenko in the first round of the 2019 presidential election. This is progress compared to his previous results. The 2019 […]

Ukraine

UkraineAlert

May 17, 2018

Ukraine’s New Populists: Who They Are and Why They’re Dangerous

By Volodymyr Yermolenko

Populists are flourishing almost everywhere. The demand for simple solutions in a complicated world makes their messages resonate. Ukraine is no exception. The country’s situation with numerous security and economic hardships provides fertile ground for populists. Over the last four years, Ukraine has embraced a number of painful structural reforms that have been partially successful. […]

Ukraine