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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

May 7, 2026

Putin is dragging Belarus deeper into Russia’s Ukraine invasion

By Hanna Liubakova

Belarus may not currently be poised to join the invasion of Ukraine, but Vladimir Putin is clearly intent on dragging the country deeper into Russia’s war effort, writes Hanna Liubakova.

Belarus Conflict

UkraineAlert

May 6, 2026

Ukrainian battlefield gains expose Russia’s communications problems

By Miro Sedlák

Ukraine has demonstrated in recent months that it is capable of exploiting weaknesses in Russia’s front line defenses. Kyiv’s allies should now seek to prioritize the tools that will identify and exacerbate these weak points, writes Miro Sedlák.

Conflict Cybersecurity

UkraineAlert

May 4, 2026

Zelenskyy rains on Putin’s parade: Kyiv and Moscow declare rival ceasefires

By Peter Dickinson

Victory Day was supposed to be an opportunity for Vladimir Putin to project power. Instead, this year’s drastically scaled down parade is exposing Russia’s weakness while revealing Ukraine's strength, writes Peter Dickinson.

Conflict Drones

UkraineAlert

May 1, 2026

Europe needs Ukraine as it looks to counter growing Russian threat

By Zahar Hryniv

More than a year since Trump returned to the White House, it is clear that Europe needs to develop its own strategic vision for the continent’s defense. It is equally apparent that Ukraine must be central to this vision, writes Zahar Hryniv.

Conflict Defense Industry

UkraineAlert

Apr 30, 2026

Putin’s parade once projected power. Now it reveals Russia’s weakness.

By Peter Dickinson

Russia's annual Victory Day parade has traditionally been an opportunity for Putin to project power. This year, however, the parade has been scaled down amid fears of Ukrainian attack and risks becoming a symbol of Russian weakness, writes Peter Dickinson.

Conflict Defense Technologies

UkraineAlert

Apr 30, 2026

Zelenskyy refuses Russian demands to surrender Ukraine’s vital fortress belt

By Marc Goedemans

Ukraine rejects Russian demands to withdraw from northern Donetsk province as part of a peace deal and insists the region's fortress belt is absolutely indispensable for the defense of the country as a whole, writes Marc Goedemans.

Conflict Defense Policy

UkraineAlert

Apr 28, 2026

Ukraine’s Zelennials have youth on their side in war against Putin’s pensioners

By Peter Dickinson

It is no exaggeration to state that the current war in Ukraine is a clash of generations pitting Russia’s staunchly Soviet leadership against the radically different post-Soviet mindset of the Ukrainian authorities, writes Peter Dickinson.

Conflict Democratic Transitions

UkraineAlert

Apr 28, 2026

Iran war could leave Ukrainian civilians exposed to Russian missiles

By Maksym Beznosiuk, William Dixon

With the Iran war depleting global stocks of Patriot air defense interceptor missiles, fears are mounting in Kyiv that Ukrainian civilians could be left exposed to Russian ballistic missiles during an anticipated summer bombing campaign, write Maksym Beznosiuk and William Dixon.

Conflict Critical Infrastructure Policy

UkraineAlert

Apr 23, 2026

Shakhtar Donetsk gives Ukraine’s war-weary football fans reason to cheer

By Mark Temnycky

Ukrainian football club Shakhtar Donetsk will face English team Crystal Palace next week in the first leg of their UEFA Conference League semifinal knowing that a win could provide a much-needed morale boost to millions of fans watching at home in war-torn Ukraine, writes Mark Temnycky.

Conflict Freedom and Prosperity

UkraineAlert

Apr 23, 2026

Europe unites to unblock €90 billion Ukraine loan in major blow to Russia

By Peter Dickinson

The European Union finally approved a long delayed €90 billion two-year loan to Kyiv on April 23, dealing a serious blow to Russia's hopes of outlasting the West in Ukraine, writes Peter Dickinson.

Conflict Corruption

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UkraineAlert

Apr 29, 2025

Kyiv accuses China of deepening involvement in Russia’s Ukraine war

By Katherine Spencer

As US-led efforts continue to broker a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine, Kyiv has recently accused China of deepening its involvement in Moscow’s invasion, writes Katherine Spencer.

China Conflict

UkraineAlert

Apr 24, 2025

Ukraine’s innovative army can help Europe defend itself against Russia

By David Kirichenko

Faced with an isolationist US and an expansionist Russia, Ukrainians and their European partners are increasingly acknowledging that their collective future security depends on closer cooperation, writes David Kirichenko.

Conflict Defense Industry

UkraineAlert

Apr 24, 2025

A pro-Putin peace deal in Ukraine would destabilize the entire world

By Elena Davlikanova, Lesia Ogryzko

Handing Russia victory in Ukraine may temporarily create the illusion of peace, but in reality it would set the stage for a dangerous new era of international insecurity marked by militarization, nuclear proliferation, and wars of aggression, write Elena Davlikanova and Lesia Ogryzko.

Conflict International Norms

UkraineAlert

Apr 22, 2025

Putin’s cynical Easter ceasefire stunt backfires as Zelenskyy calls his bluff

By Peter Dickinson

Vladimir Putin’s surprise Easter ceasefire announcement was clearly a cynical stunt, but it did inadvertently serve an important purpose by underlining the simple fact that Russia can end the war whenever it chooses, writes Peter Dickinson.

Conflict Disinformation

UkraineAlert

Apr 22, 2025

US-led peace talks hampered by Trump’s reluctance to pressure Putin

By Olivia Yanchik

US-led efforts to end the Russian invasion of Ukraine are being hampered by Donald Trump's reluctance to put pressure on Vladimir Putin and force the Kremlin leader to accept a compromise peace, writes Olivia Yanchik.

Conflict Financial Sanctions and Economic Coercion

UkraineAlert

Apr 17, 2025

Putin is attempting to intimidate Merz with yet more Russian red lines

By Peter Dickinson

As Germany’s next chancellor Friedrich Merz prepares to boost support for Ukraine, the Kremlin is already seeking to deter him with intimidation tactics, writes Peter Dickinson. Merz's response will help define whether he is capable of leading Europe.

Conflict Defense Industry

UkraineAlert

Apr 17, 2025

The Ukrainian army is now Europe’s most credible security guarantee

By Pavlo Verkhniatskyi

As Europe confronts the new geopolitical realities of an expansionist Russia and an isolationist United States, the continent's most credible security guarantee is now the Ukrainian Armed Forces, writes Pavlo Verkhniatskyi.

Conflict Defense Industry

UkraineAlert

Apr 15, 2025

US funding cuts create openings for Russian disinformation in Ukraine

By Muhammad Tahir

Drastic recent cuts to US funding for Ukraine's independent media will create unprecedented opportunities for Russian disinformation, writes Muhammad Tahir.

Civil Society Conflict

UkraineAlert

Apr 15, 2025

Russian missile strikes on Ukrainian civilians cast shadow over peace talks

By Mercedes Sapuppo

Russia's Palm Sunday ballistic missile strike on Sumy was the latest in a series of attacks on Ukrainian cities that have killed dozens of civilians and cast a long shadow over Donald Trump's efforts to initiate peace talks between Moscow and Kyiv, writes Mercedes Sapuppo.

Conflict Missile Defense

UkraineAlert

Apr 10, 2025

A pragmatic peace plan for Ukraine

By Mykola Bielieskov

A pragmatic and sustainable peace is possible in Ukraine if Kyiv's European partners dramatically increase their own defense spending while significantly strengthening the Ukrainian military, writes Mykola Bielieskov.

European Union NATO