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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

Ukraine Is Serious about Privatization This Time

UkraineAlert
Jan 20, 2026

Ukraine’s best security guarantee is the ability to strike back inside Russia

By
Serhii Kuzan

With Kyiv’s Western allies unlikely to risk war with Russia, Ukraine’s most realistic security guarantee remains a strong military coupled with the ability to strike targets deep inside Russia, writes Serhii Kuzan.

Conflict
Defense Policy

Ukraine Is Serious about Privatization This Time

UkraineAlert
Jan 15, 2026

Veterans can shape the future of Ukrainian democracy

By
Vasyl Sehin

The participation of military veterans in Ukraine’s political life has the potential to dramatically strengthen Ukrainian democracy and safeguard the country’s historic transition from centuries of Russian autocracy, writes Vasyl Sehin.

Conflict
Democratic Transitions

Ukraine Is Serious about Privatization This Time

UkraineAlert
Jan 8, 2026

Ukraine’s robot army will be crucial in 2026 but drones can’t replace infantry

By
David Kirichenko

Ukraine’s growing robot army of land drones will play a vital role in the country’s defense during 2026, but they are not wonder weapons and cannot serve as a miracle cure for Kyiv’s manpower shortages, writes David Kirichenko.

Artificial Intelligence
Conflict

Latest analysis

UkraineAlert

Aug 11, 2023

Why Putin’s Russia cannot accept its borders

By
<span class="gta-embed–tax–expert gta-post-embed–tax–expert" >Glenn Chafetz, John Sipher</span>

Vladimir Putin's attempts to justify the invasion of Ukraine as a just war to reunite historically Russian lands reflect the expansionist ideology at the heart of modern Russia's imperial identity, write Glenn Chafetz and John Sipher.


Conflict

Disinformation


UkraineAlert

Aug 10, 2023

Russia accused of deliberately targeting journalists in Ukraine

By
<span class="gta-embed–tax–expert gta-post-embed–tax–expert">Mercedes Sapuppo</span>

A series of Russian airstrikes on civilian targets known to be popular among international correspondents covering the invasion of Ukraine has sparked accusations that the Kremlin is deliberately targeting journalists, writes Mercedes Sapuppo.


Conflict

Human Rights


UkraineAlert

Aug 10, 2023

New report highlights evidence of escalating Russian genocide in Ukraine

By
<span class="gta-embed–tax–expert gta-post-embed–tax–expert">Kristina Hook</span>

A new international report has identified evidence that Russia's campaign of genocide in Ukraine is escalating as the full-scale invasion of the country approaches the one-and-a-half-year mark, writes Kristina Hook.


Conflict

Disinformation


UkraineAlert

Aug 10, 2023

F-16 delays leave Ukraine exposed to deadly Russian air superiority

By
<span class="gta-embed–tax–expert gta-post-embed–tax–expert">Olivia Yanchik</span>

A clear commitment to send Ukraine a fleet of F-16s would do much to repair the damage to Western credibility caused by earlier delays. Crucially, it could also save countless Ukrainian lives, writes Olivia Yanchik.


Conflict

Defense Technologies


UkraineAlert

Aug 8, 2023

Odesa urgently needs an air defense upgrade as Russia escalates airstrikes

By
<span class="gta-embed–tax–expert gta-post-embed–tax–expert">Michael Bociurkiw</span>

Ukrainian Black Sea port Odesa has recently been hit by a series of Russian air attacks that have caused devastation in the city's UNESCO-listed historic center and highlighted the need for improved air defenses, writes Michael Bociurkiw.


Conflict

Infrastructure Protection


UkraineAlert

Aug 7, 2023

Ukraine’s slow counteroffensive is a wake-up call for the West

By
<span class="gta-embed–tax–expert gta-post-embed–tax–expert" >Maksym Skrypchenko</span>

Ukraine’s lack of counteroffensive progress over the past two months should serve as a wake-up call for Western leaders. Their response will shape the geopolitical landscape for decades to come, writes Maksym Skrypchenko.


Conflict

Defense Policy


UkraineAlert

Aug 3, 2023

Agricultural obstacles may complicate Ukraine’s path toward EU membership

By
<span class="gta-embed–tax–expert gta-post-embed–tax–expert" >Aleksander Cwalina, Benton Coblentz</span>

Ukraine continues to pursue EU integration even as the country defends itself against Russian invasion, but there are signs that some EU member states are not yet ready to integrate Ukraine's powerful agricultural sector.


Civil Society

Conflict


UkraineAlert

Aug 3, 2023

Russia is targeting Ukrainian national identity with attacks on heritage sites

By
<span class="gta-embed–tax–expert gta-post-embed–tax–expert">Mercedes Sapuppo</span>

The Russian bombing of Odesa's main Orthodox church in July was the latest in long line of attacks on Ukrainian heritage sites that indicate a deliberate campaign to erase Ukrainian cultural identity, writes Mercedes Sapuppo.


Civil Society

Conflict


UkraineAlert

Aug 3, 2023

Russian Orthodox leader Patriarch Kirill’s unholy war against Ukraine

By
<span class="gta-embed–tax–expert gta-post-embed–tax–expert" >Borys Gudziak</span>

Russia's Unholy War: Russian Orthodox Church leader Patriarch Kirill has provided the ideological justification for Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine and Russian efforts to eliminate Ukrainian national identity.


Civil Society

Conflict


UkraineAlert

Aug 1, 2023

Ukraine is finally freeing itself from centuries of Russian imperialism

By
<span class="gta-embed–tax–expert gta-post-embed–tax–expert" >Taras Kuzio</span>

Vladimir Putin hoped his full-scale invasion of Ukraine would mark the dawn of a new Russian Empire. Instead, it has strengthened Ukraine's resolve to free itself from centuries of Russian imperialism, writes Taras Kuzio.


Civil Society

Conflict

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spotlight

Resilience in the face of adversity

Ukraine’s transformation

Ukraine has moved tentatively toward an open society and market economy since independence. The country has held several democratic elections and made halting progress in addressing corruption and state control in its economy. Since the 2014 Maidan Revolution, Ukraine has undertaken significant governance and economic reform and moved decisively toward a Europe-Atlantic foreign policy. Since 2022, Ukraine has resiliently continued to advance some reforms despite fighting for its very existence against the full-scale Russian invasion.

Learn more about Ukraine

Ukraine Is Serious about Privatization This Time

UkraineAlert
Dec 5, 2024

Ukraine’s entrepreneurial class can drive the country’s economic recovery

The Ukrainian SME sector has demonstrated remarkable wartime resilience and is poised to be at the forefront of efforts to create a modern, innovative, postwar economy, writes Anton Waschuk.

Read More

Ukraine Is Serious about Privatization This Time

UkraineAlert
Oct 1, 2024

Ukraine needs international investors to maintain defense tech momentum

By
Mykhailo Fedorov

Ukraine’s rapidly expanding defense tech sector can play a game-changing role in the war against Russia but Ukrainian companies need international investment, writes Ukraine’s Minister for Digital Transformation Mykhailo Fedorov.

Artificial Intelligence
Conflict

Ukraine Is Serious about Privatization This Time

UkraineAlert
Jun 13, 2024

Ukraine officially embraces English as historic westward pivot continues

By
Oleksiy Goncharenko

By officially embracing English, Ukrainians aim to support their country’s historic pivot away from Moscow and return to the European community of nations, writes Oleksiy Goncharenko.

Civil Society
Conflict

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

Mar 23, 2018

Ukraine Is Serious about Privatization This Time

By <span class="gta-embed--tax--expert gta-post-embed--tax--expert" >Oksana Bedratenko</span>

Since 2014, privatization in Ukraine has made little progress. Well-connected oligarchs could no longer dominate the privatization process, as had often been the case in the past because of strengthened public scrutiny and involvement of international donors, yet vested interests were still powerful enough to block privatizations and the lingering problems associated with the country’s […]

Ukraine

UkraineAlert

Mar 21, 2018

Crucial EU Initiative that Outs Kremlin Lies Under Fire

By <span class="gta-embed--tax--expert gta-post-embed--tax--expert" >Halya Coynash</span>

A crucial program that identifies Kremlin methods of disinformation has come under attack. Alarmingly, one of the key accusations is that its activities constitute an attempt to restrict freedom of speech. The situation could not be more absurd.  The program running into such controversy is the East Stratcom Task Force and the EU vs Disinfo […]

European Union International Organizations

UkraineAlert

Mar 21, 2018

How the US Can Shore Up Ukraine’s Vulnerabilities in the Black Sea

By <span class="gta-embed--tax--expert gta-post-embed--tax--expert" >Stephen Blank</span>

Four years after the invasion of Crimea and the Donbas, Russia’s aggression against Ukraine continues unabated. For all the failures of the government in Kyiv to reform, Ukraine is still fighting our war. Were it not for Ukrainians’ willingness to defend themselves, NATO would be spending a fortune to reform its past structures and procedures […]

Russia Ukraine

UkraineAlert

Mar 20, 2018

Why Nord Stream 2 Isn’t Just an Ordinary Pipeline

By <span class="gta-embed--tax--expert gta-post-embed--tax--expert" >Diane Francis</span>

Of all nations, Germany must heed the lessons of history, both current and past. This begs the question as to why Germany would help Europe become more energy dependent on a country like Russia that ignores norms, contracts, laws, treaties, and borders. And yet that is exactly what Germany is about to do if it […]

Germany Russia

UkraineAlert

Mar 19, 2018

Ukraine should remove “stringent” disclosure law on civil society

By <span class="gta-embed--tax--expert gta-post-embed--tax--expert" >Gina S. Lentine</span>

There has been an ominous change in the state of freedom of association in Ukraine over the last year. One of Ukraine’s leading activists, Vitaliy Shabunin of the Anti-Corruption Action Center (AntAC), is facing trial on criminal charges and could receive up to five years in prison. The charges are at best exaggerated and at […]

Corruption Rule of Law

UkraineAlert

Mar 15, 2018

Sorry, Putin. Crimea still isn’t yours

By <span class="gta-embed--tax--expert gta-post-embed--tax--expert">Alexander Vershbow</span>

We must make clear to Moscow that any return to “business as usual” in the West’s relations with Moscow cannot begin without the return of the Donbas, and that no improvement in relations can be complete without the return of Crimea.

Russia Ukraine

UkraineAlert

Mar 15, 2018

One Overlooked and Easy Way the Trump Administration Can Help Ukraine

By <span class="gta-embed--tax--expert gta-post-embed--tax--expert" >Anders Åslund</span>

Diplomatic relations between the United States and Ukraine are eminent. As former US Ambassador to Ukraine Steven Pifer writes in his new book, The Eagle and the Trident, they have almost always been good. Ukraine’s outstanding sacrifice was to give up the third largest nuclear force in the world. An unfortunate consequence was that Russia […]

Ukraine

UkraineAlert

Mar 13, 2018

From Crimea to Salisbury: Time to Acknowledge Putin’s Global Hybrid War

By <span class="gta-embed--tax--expert gta-post-embed--tax--expert" >Peter Dickinson</span>

Since Russian troops began seizing government buildings in Crimea four years ago, the international community has become accustomed to encountering new acts of Russian aggression on an almost daily basis. Whether it is masked men in eastern Ukraine, a chemical weapons attack in the English countryside, or an attempted coup in the Balkans, the process […]

Russia Ukraine

UkraineAlert

Mar 13, 2018

Q&A: Tillerson Out, Pompeo In. What Does It Mean for Russia and Ukraine?

By <span class="gta-embed--tax--expert gta-post-embed--tax--expert" >Melinda Haring</span>

On March 13, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson was sacked. US President Donald Trump plans to replace him with former CIA director Mike Pompeo. UkraineAlert asked its experts the following: What does Pompeo think about Russian President Vladimir Putin and his aggressive foreign policy? What does the leadership change mean for US policy toward Ukraine […]

Russia Ukraine

UkraineAlert

Mar 12, 2018

The Truth Behind Ukraine’s Language Policy

By <span class="gta-embed--tax--expert gta-post-embed--tax--expert" >Tetyana Ogarkova</span>

On February 28, Ukraine’s Constitutional Court ruled the bill “On the principles of the state language policy” unconstitutional and rendered it invalid. The law in question, adopted back in 2012 and known as the “Kivalov-Kolesnichenko language law,” granted Russian the status of a “regional language.” It was precisely the abolition of this law by the […]

Ukraine
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