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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 6, 2022

Countering the Kremlin: America must not wait for European unity

By
Olexander Scherba

Vladimir Putin's ongoing invasion of Ukraine marks the culmination of Russia’s long campaign to corrupt Europe. The EU condemns the war while at the same time sponsoring it, writes Olexander Scherba.


Conflict


Corruption


UkraineAlert

May 6, 2022

Making Putin pay: Russia must finance the rebuilding of post-war Ukraine

By
Kira Rudik

Making Putin pay: Russian assets currently frozen in the West could potentially be used to finance the rebuilding of post-war Ukraine but this will require both creativity and political will from Western leaders.


Conflict


Economy & Business


UkraineAlert

May 4, 2022

Foreign policy realists should be bolder about defeating Putin in Ukraine

By
Henrik Larsen

Foreign policy realists have urged caution over Ukraine but as the conflict grinds on it is now time to recognize that the democratic world has a significant interest in securing Vladimir Putin's decisive defeat.


Conflict


European Union


UkraineAlert

May 2, 2022

Lavrov’s anti-Semitic outburst exposes absurdity of Russia’s “Nazi Ukraine” claims

By
Peter Dickinson

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has sparked a diplomatic scandal with an anti-Semitic outburst that underlines the absurdity of Russia’s relentless “Nazi Ukraine” propaganda claims.


Conflict


Democratic Transitions


UkraineAlert

May 1, 2022

Finally! German MPs back heavy weapons for Ukraine in historic vote

By
Vitaly Sych

The German Bundestag on April 28 finally agreed to supply heavy weapons to Ukraine in an historic vote that marked a departure from months of caution in Berlin and efforts to avoid confrontation with the Kremlin.


Conflict


Corruption


UkraineAlert

Apr 30, 2022

Ukraine War Diary: “You can never really get used to the air raid sirens”

By
Vitaly Sych

Ukrainian media personality Vitaly Sych has kept a war diary recounting his experiences and observations during the past two terrifying and heroic months as Ukrainians have adjusted to Vladimir Putin’s criminal invasion.


Conflict


Cybersecurity


UkraineAlert

Apr 27, 2022

Beyond Putin: Russian imperialism is the No. 1 threat to global security

By
Volodymyr Vakhitov, Natalia Zaika

Many Western leaders accuse Vladimir Putin of single-handedly sparking the current war in Ukraine but in reality the roots of the conflict are far deeper and reflect longstanding Russian imperial attitudes toward Ukraine.


Conflict


Disinformation


UkraineAlert

Apr 23, 2022

New stamp captures Ukraine’s resolve to defy Putin and defeat Russia

By
Peter Dickinson

A new Ukrainian postage stamp commemorating an iconic act of resistance to Vladimir Putin’s invasion has become a symbol of surging patriotic pride and growing confidence in Ukraine’s eventual victory over Russia.


Civil Society


Conflict


UkraineAlert

Apr 22, 2022

Putin’s Unholy War

By
Knox Thames

Vladimir Putin's unholy war in Ukraine has sought to exploit centuries of shared Orthodox faith but the ongoing invasion has only served to expose the growing gulf separating modern Ukraine from Russia.


Civil Society


Conflict


UkraineAlert

Apr 21, 2022

Genocide in Ukraine: Putin just gave his tacit approval for more war crimes

By
Peter Dickinson

By bestowing military honors on Russian soldiers accused of war crimes against Ukraine civilians, Vladimir Putin is setting the stage for further atrocities and underlining the genocidal intentions behind his invasion of Ukraine.


Conflict


Disinformation

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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

Aug 10, 2017

Correction Unnecessary

By John E. Herbst

Bloomberg View columnist Leonid Bershidsky is unhappy and he has been tweeting.  Specifically, he demands a correction to my August 8 post that criticized some of the points in his opinion piece arguing against sending defensive lethal weapons to Ukraine. He claims that he “did not argue” what I said; he has “no idea how” […]

Ukraine

UkraineAlert

Aug 9, 2017

Stanford program turns theory into practice in Ukraine and beyond

By Melinda Haring

Both Liakh and Sotnyk return to Kyiv with new ideas and a powerful network of experts and activists they can consult in the long struggle to transform Ukraine.

Civil Society Education

UkraineAlert

Aug 8, 2017

Why the Case Against Arming Ukraine Doesn’t Hold Water

By John E. Herbst

Armchair strategists have come out of the woodwork to explain why it would be a mistake for the United States to arm Ukraine. They argue that Russia is stronger than Ukraine and can outmatch any escalation, Moscow has a greater interest in Ukraine than Washington, and Ukraine’s government is corrupt and undeserving of such support. […]

Russia Ukraine

UkraineAlert

Aug 8, 2017

Putin Still in Denial over the Loss of Ukraine

By Peter Dickinson

When Kremlin proxies in eastern Ukraine declared the foundation of “Malorossia” in mid-July, most people laughed. This bizarre attempt to replace Ukraine with a “Little Russian” vassal state was seen as one more indication of how hopelessly out of touch Russian policymakers are with Ukrainian public opinion. However, at least one man in Moscow failed […]

Russia Ukraine

UkraineAlert

Aug 8, 2017

Five Ways We Have Changed the World’s Perception of Ukraine

By Nataliya Popovych

Ukraine has continued to face many challenges but something has changed in the last year. The country started scoring targeted and powerful public relations goals abroad. At Ukraine Crisis Media Center, where I am a co-founder, we have actively sought to change how Ukraine is perceived. Here’s five creative ways that we’ve tried to change […]

Ukraine

UkraineAlert

Aug 3, 2017

Germany’s Key Role in Fighting Kremlin Subversion in Europe

By Jakub Janda and Veronika Víchová

What does the German government plan to do about the Kremlin’s creeping disinformation operations? Germany became interested in Russia’s subversive disinformation campaign only recently, particularly after the infamous “Lisa case” in 2016. The German government has started to implement some new security measures, especially in the area of cybersecurity. Russian interference in Germany’s September elections […]

Germany Russia

UkraineAlert

Aug 1, 2017

Washington’s Got a New Tool to Counter Putin, and It’s Not What You Think It Is

By Mari Dugas

Washington’s got a new way to counter Russian influence in Europe, and it’s not what you might expect. Thanks to new technology, the United States has experienced a boom in natural gas production and is set to become the world’s third-largest exporter of liquefied natural gas (LNG) by 2020. The United States has recognized this […]

Russia Ukraine

UkraineAlert

Aug 1, 2017

The Russia Sanctions Bill Is a Decisive Moment for US Policy—Now What?

By Edward Fishman

On August 2, President Donald Trump signed the Russia sanctions bill that passed the House and Senate with veto-proof majorities. Trump had little choice; had he rejected the bill, it would have become law anyway. Despite concerns that House Republicans would water down the bill after it initially sailed through the Senate on June 15, […]

Russia Ukraine

UkraineAlert

Jul 31, 2017

Why Trump is Wrong about Ukrainian Interference in US Elections

By Adrian Karatnycky

President Donald Trump’s July 25 tweet sent shockwaves through Ukraine, a country that relies on US support to resist an ongoing Russian military attack and occupation of large chunks of its territory. It is understandable why Trump and his media cheerleaders like Sean Hannity might be scrambling to find examples of other countries interfering in […]

Russia Ukraine

UkraineAlert

Jul 28, 2017

How Healthy Is Ukrainian Democracy?

By Diane Francis

Hours after Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko stripped Mikheil Saakashvili of his citizenship to silence him, the former president of Georgia was on CNN in New York City badmouthing the oligarchy. Poroshenko’s latest attack on the anti-corruption movement will backfire as Saakashvili becomes a megaphone to the world. He already is a media darling—and speaks five […]

Russia Ukraine