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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 13, 2021

Ukraine’s cultural revival faces political challenges

By
Kateryna Botanova

Efforts are underway in Ukraine to defend the independence and transparency of the Ukrainian Cultural Fund amid concerns in Ukrainian civil society that toxic political practices are making a comeback.


Civil Society


Democratic Transitions


UkraineAlert

Apr 8, 2021

Ukraine’s digital revolution continues with enhanced legal status for e-passports

By
Mykhailo Fedorov

On March 30, the Ukrainian parliament passed legislation that recognizes e-passports as official documents and provides them with the same legal status for domestic use as their more traditional paper cousins.


Digital Policy


Internet


UkraineAlert

Apr 7, 2021

Ukraine rules out a return to Minsk peace talks as Putin tightens his grip on Belarus

By
Vladislav Davidzon

Ukraine has ruled out a return to peace talks in Minsk due to growing Russian influence over Belarus as the Kremlin capitalizes on the international isolation of Belarusian dictator Alyaksandr Lukashenka.


Belarus


Conflict


UkraineAlert

Apr 6, 2021

Ukraine fails vaccine test

By
Brian Mefford

Ukraine currently ranks among Europe's worst performers in terms of Covid vaccinations. The shortage of vaccines in the country is fueling mounting anger over the Ukrainian government's handling of the pandemic.


Coronavirus


Ukraine


UkraineAlert

Apr 6, 2021

Upgrading Ukraine’s Air Force could deter Russia

By
Stephen Blank

Reinforcing Ukraine's Air Force would be a powerful way to deter Russian aggression against Ukraine and indicate to Moscow that the Western world will no longer tolerate Russian military adventurism in Eastern Europe.


Conflict


Russia


UkraineAlert

Apr 6, 2021

How to reform Ukrainian Railways

By
Adomas Audickas

In order for Ukraine’s railway service to modernize, or even to survive in the long-term, the government needs to help reform UZ by changing tariffs, funding loss-making passenger operations, and cutting taxes.


Economy & Business


Fiscal and Structural Reform


UkraineAlert

Apr 4, 2021

Is Putin about to launch a new offensive in Ukraine?

By
Peter Dickinson

Russia has sparked alarm in recent days by massing its armed forces close to the Ukrainian border. The military build-up has raised fears of a dramatic escalation in the simmering seven-year conflict between the two countries.


Conflict


Russia


UkraineAlert

Apr 1, 2021

How Putin made the international media his unwitting accomplices

By
Peter Dickinson

Vladimir Putin's hybrid war against Ukraine relies heavily on deliberate disinformation and blanket denials. By prioritizing impartiality over accuracy, the international media has often played the role of unwitting accomplice.


Conflict


Disinformation


UkraineAlert

Apr 1, 2021

Ukraine’s local authorities and the Covid-19 pandemic

By
Iryna Ozymok

One year on since pandemic lockdown regulations were first introduced in Ukraine, have local authorities across the country learned the often tough lessons of the past twelve months?


Coronavirus


Crisis Management


UkraineAlert

Mar 31, 2021

Ukraine’s unlikely new political heavyweight

By
Adrian Karatnycky

Ukraine has an unlikely new political heavyweight. Oleksiy Danilov is Secretary of Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council. He has recently become Ukraine’s most compelling voice for reform.


Corruption


Democratic Transitions

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 1, 2018

Why the Seven Arguments Used to Justify Nord Stream II Are Just Plain Wrong

By Aliona Osmolovska

Proponents of Russia’s Nord Stream II pipeline rely on at least seven arguments to explain their support for the politically motivated project. The trouble is, these justifications are based on incorrect assumptions or outright disinformation. We identified the seven myths and then used publicly available facts to set the record straight.

Russia Ukraine

UkraineAlert

Apr 30, 2018

Q&A: Ukraine’s Got Javelins Now. So What?

By Melinda Haring

On April 30, the US Department of State confirmed to Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty the delivery of Javelin antitank missile systems to Ukraine. This issue has been long-standing: the Obama administration refused to send the weapons to Kyiv, while President Donald Trump changed course. Some experts warn that giving Ukraine lethal defensive weapons will only […]

Ukraine

UkraineAlert

Apr 26, 2018

Leak May Put Brakes on Putin’s European Pipeline Dominance

By Oleksandr Kharchenko

Gazprom has been making headlines in Europe lately. And not in a good way. The leaking of a 271-page report compiled by the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Competition, which describes violations of European legislation by the Russian gas monopoly Gazprom, recently became a sensation. It’s not, however, because the report reveals any previously unknown facts. […]

Russia Ukraine

UkraineAlert

Apr 25, 2018

What Happened to the Ships the US Tried to Give to Ukraine?

By Valeriya Yegoshyna

Editor’s note: On September 27, the United States officially transferred two former 110-foot Coast Guard cutters ships to Ukraine. However, the question remains: why did it take the Ukrainian government nearly four-and-a-half years to accept the US offer? We recommend the excellent RFE/RL “Schemes” investigation below.  Four years after Crimea’s annexation, Ukraine is still struggling to […]

Russia Ukraine

UkraineAlert

Apr 24, 2018

What Europe’s Forgotten War Actually Feels Like

By Ruslan Minich

“We were moving through flashing fields. And I realized history was evolving right in front of my very eyes. I had yellow goggles on; everything was yellow with them. I took the goggles off, and then the wind started blowing in my eyes. I couldn’t see anything,” says volunteer soldier Bizhan Sharopov, who fought against […]

Russia Ukraine

UkraineAlert

Apr 24, 2018

Ukraine May Be Getting Its Own Church, but Not as Fast as Poroshenko Thinks

By James J. Coyle

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko announced on April 17 that Ukraine might have an independent, unified Ukrainian Orthodox Church as early as July 28—the anniversary of Kyivan Rus’ adoption of Christianity. He made this prediction after the Ukrainian parliament voted to support the president’s efforts to convince Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew to grant autocephalous status to the […]

Russia Ukraine

UkraineAlert

Apr 24, 2018

As Some Bail, Denis Gursky Sees Ukraine as Land of Opportunity, and Thinks You Should Too

By Melinda Haring

It’s Easter Monday in Kyiv, a holiday, and no one is working except Denis Gursky. The affable Mariupol native has an anxiety-inducing to-do list, but you wouldn’t know it from his easy laugh and wide smile. We meet at Gursky’s stunning new 500-square meter co-working space in Kyiv’s tallest commercial building to discuss Ukraine’s unique […]

Ukraine

UkraineAlert

Apr 19, 2018

How to Build a Real Political Party in Ukraine

By Viola Gienger

Oleksandr Solontay is trying to accomplish the political equivalent of pushing Ukraine’s winter snow uphill. In a country that still struggles to shake its addiction to oligarchs and other figureheads despite multiple attempts at revolution, the thirty-seven-year old is aiming to construct a political party from the ground up. Solontay, an educator and former city […]

Ukraine

UkraineAlert

Apr 19, 2018

Why Ukraine’s Radical Parties Are Sitting Pretty for Upcoming Elections

By Mykola Vorobiov

Ukrainian nationalism is growing quickly, but radical parties have never done well in elections. This may change in 2019, when Ukraine will hold both presidential and parliamentary elections, which are the first national elections after the Euromaidan revolution and the Russian military invasion in 2014. While Ukraine has committed to joining Euro-Atlantic institutions and embarked […]

Russia Ukraine

UkraineAlert

Apr 19, 2018

Why Ukraine’s Anti-Corruption Drive Is Failing

By Tetyana Ogarkova

After the victory of the Euromaidan, the demand for combating corruption drastically increased, and new institutions were established to fight high-level corruption. However, there is an ongoing conflict between two of the newly established agencies that greatly diminishes their ability to fight corruption. Below we explain the fight in ten question and answers.

Ukraine