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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.


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Latest analysis


UkraineAlert

Jul 8, 2025

Cautious optimism in Ukraine as Trump vows to send more weapons

By
Peter Dickinson

Ukrainians have welcomed US President Donald Trump’s July 7 announcement that he intends to provide Ukraine with more weapons, but many remain deeply cynical over the longer term prospects for continued US support, writes Peter Dickinson.

Conflict
Drones


UkraineAlert

Jul 8, 2025

Putin is winning the drone war as Russia overwhelms Ukraine’s defenses

By
Maksym Beznosiuk

Russia is now winning the drone war against Ukraine thanks to a massive increase in domestic drone production and a series of technological upgrades, writes Maksym Beznosiuk. This is enabling Putin to dramatically escalate the bombardment of Ukrainian cities.

Conflict
Defense Industry


UkraineAlert

Jul 2, 2025

Russia applauds US decision to halt key weapons deliveries to Ukraine

By
Peter Dickinson

The Kremlin has cheered this week’s US decision to halt the delivery of crucial defensive weapons to Ukraine as Russia continues to pursue its maximalist goal of extinguishing Ukrainian statehood, writes Peter Dickinson.

Conflict
Drones


UkraineAlert

Jul 2, 2025

Iran becomes the latest Russian ally to discover the limits of Kremlin support

By
Elena Davlikanova

Iran has recently joined fellow Kremlin allies Armenia and Syria in discovering the limits of Russian support. Putin’s army is dangerously overextended in Ukraine and is in no position to embark on new military adventures, writes Elena Davlikanova.

Conflict
Drones


UkraineAlert

Jul 2, 2025

Ukraine’s drone wall is Europe’s first line of defense against Russia

By
David Kirichenko

Ukraine’s drone wall is rapidly emerging as Europe’s first line of defense against the mounting military threat posed by an expansionist Russia, writes David Kirichenko.

Conflict
Defense Industry


UkraineAlert

Jul 1, 2025

Putin’s escalating air offensive is overwhelming Ukraine’s defenses

By
Mykola Bielieskov

Russian aerial attacks on Ukrainian cities are expanding rapidly and killing growing numbers of civilians. Kyiv must urgently find technological solutions to defend against Putin’s escalating air offensive, writes Mykola Bielieskov.

Conflict
Defense Industry


UkraineAlert

Jun 26, 2025

Putin cannot attend BRICS summit in Brazil as he fears arrest for war crimes

By
Peter Dickinson

Russian President Vladimir Putin will not attend next week’s annual BRICS summit in Brazil as he fears possible arrest for war crimes committed during the invasion of Ukraine, writes Peter Dickinson.

Brazil
Conflict


UkraineAlert

Jun 26, 2025

Russia’s persecution of the Crimean Tatars must not be forgotten

By
Mercedes Sapuppo

Events will take place across Ukraine this week to mark Crimean Tatar Flag Day. However, there will be no celebrations in Crimea itself, writes Mercedes Sapuppo.

Conflict
Human Rights


UkraineAlert

Jun 24, 2025

US secures release of Belarusian prisoners but pressure must continue

By
Hanna Liubakova

The release of fourteen prominent Belarusian political prisoners last weekend is welcome news. But the 1172 who remain behind bars in Belarus deserve more than symbolic gestures from the West, writes Hanna Liubakova.

Belarus
Conflict


UkraineAlert

Jun 24, 2025

North Korea is playing a key role in Russia’s war against Ukraine

By
Olivia Yanchik

North Korea is playing an increasingly vital support role in Russia’s war against Ukraine. This includes providing the Kremlin with vast quantities of ammunition, ballistic missiles, and thousands of men, writes Olivia Yanchik.

Defense Industry
Defense Technologies

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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

Nov 29, 2016

Is It Prudent or Paranoid to Worry about Russia’s Influence in the Baltics?

By Jakub Janda

Russia has been busy spreading its influence in Europe and Eurasia. Alexander J. Motyl worries that the Baltic states are “the most vulnerable to a complete [Russian] takeover,” and security expert Paul D. Miller predicts that World War III could break out in Latvia. Last month Lithuania issued a manual on what to do if […]

Northern Europe Russia

UkraineAlert

Nov 28, 2016

Has Putin Finally Stepped on His Own Rake in Syria?

By Stephen Blank

In October 2016 the Russian government made a significant announcement about its Syria policy that Western sources overlooked. Moscow announced that it supported the restoration of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s power throughout the country, something it had not stressed previously. This statement and its consequences merit serious scrutiny by the West because its implications are […]

Russia Turkey

UkraineAlert

Nov 22, 2016

Will Trump’s Foreign Policy Make Any Sense?

By Diane Francis

The election of Donald Trump marks a turning point in the world of international relations. Speculation abounds as to what he’s going to do, but his policies remain unknown, possibly unformed. Still, this doesn’t discourage us from speculating as well as poring over the resumes of his appointments to date. But the only certainty is […]

Mexico Russia

UkraineAlert

Nov 22, 2016

Eastern Europe Must Prepare for the Worst about Trump

By Alexander J. Motyl

President Barack Obama’s advice to the world that it shouldn’t “assume the worst” about Donald Trump may apply to countries whose existential interests cannot be threatened by the president-elect’s policies, but those that face a possible Russian invasion must assume and prepare for the worst. They cannot, as Obama recommended, “wait until the administration is […]

Belarus Northern Europe

UkraineAlert

Nov 22, 2016

In Time of Trump, Advice to Friends of Ukraine (And Democracy)

By Jeffrey Gedmin

Friends of Ukraine, brace yourself. There’s no way to sugar-coat this for the democracy crowd either. Donald Trump has suggested that Ukraine is not our business (it “affects Europe a lot more than it affects us”). Our president-elect admires Russia’s authoritarian leader (he’s “brilliant,” a “strong leader”), and wants Vladimir Putin as an ally (“Russia […]

Russia Ukraine

UkraineAlert

Nov 21, 2016

Holodomor Remembrance Day: Why the Past Matters for the Future

By Victor Rud

As Americans sit down to their Thanksgiving meals on the last Thursday in November, Ukrainians will be commemorating the memory of millions who were murdered in 1932-33. The last Saturday in November is Holodomor Remembrance Day in Ukraine, a time to mark the anniversary of Joseph Stalin’s engineered starvation of the nation. In the West, […]

Ukraine

UkraineAlert

Nov 21, 2016

How Ukraine Can Use E-Declarations to Target the Most Corrupt

By Basil A. Kalymon and Oleh Havrylyshyn

This year, thousands of Ukrainian members of parliament, government officials, and civil servants were required by law to declare their incomes and assets in a publicly available database by October 30. Although the introduction of the e-declaration system was initially blocked numerous times, today the public can view the vast amount of wealth owned by […]

Ukraine

UkraineAlert

Nov 21, 2016

Kremlin Power Struggle Intensified: Liberals Under Attack

By Anders Åslund

The Kremlin power struggle intensifies. On November 15, Russia’s Investigative Committee arrested Minister of Economic Development Alexey Ulyukaev, the first time since 1991 that a sitting minister has been arrested. Ulyukaev is accused of corruption, but nothing seems to be as originally stated. Rather, this is a high-level political struggle between President Vladimir Putin’s confidant, […]

Russia

UkraineAlert

Nov 21, 2016

The Dissolution of the Soviet Union: Then and Now

By Amanda Abrams

Former Ukrainian President Leonid Kravchuk still believes deeply in the power of international norms to maintain peace. “Today’s world is based on great principles: sovereignty, territorial integrity, and untouchable borders. And as far as I understand the situation, the United States is the guardian of these principles,” said Kravchuk at an event on November 18, […]

Belarus Russia

UkraineAlert

Nov 17, 2016

The Russian Plot against Europe

By Alina Polyakova

Russia’s influence reaches deep into Western Europe. France has a major far-right, Eurosceptic, and openly pro-Russian party that receives funding from the Kremlin. In London, Brexit provides an opportunity for Moscow to gain a toehold in British politics. Germany’s former Chancellor Gerhard Schröder serves as chairman of the Russian-German pipeline Nord Stream. But these examples […]

European Union France