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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 9, 2026

Ukraine is winning the drone war with strike campaign behind Russian lines

By
Mykola Bielieskov

Ukraine has regained the initiative from Russia in the world's first full-scale drone war by launching a campaign of mid-range drone strikes aimed at underlining the logistics supporting Putin's invasion, writes Mykola Bielieskov.


Conflict


Defense Industry


UkraineAlert

Apr 9, 2026

Recognizing the role of propaganda in Russia’s infrastructure of aggression

By
Anna Vyshniakova, Jais Adam-Troian, Kristina Hook 

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine demonstrates that propaganda plays a more important part than ever in modern war. Recognizing propaganda as part of Russia’s infrastructure of military aggression is an essential step toward countering it effectively, write Anna Vyshniakova, Jais Adam-Troian, and Kristina Hook. 


Conflict


Defense Policy


UkraineAlert

Apr 9, 2026

Ukraine continues remarkable rise from aid recipient to security provider

By
Peter Dickinson

President Zelenskyy has recently signed a series of landmark security partnerships with countries across the Middle East, underlining wartime Ukraine's remarkable rise from aid recipient to international security provider, writes Peter Dickinson.


Conflict


Defense Industry


UkraineAlert

Apr 7, 2026

Hungarian election could have implications for EU, US, Russia, and Ukraine

By
Marc Goedemans

The Hungarian parliamentary elections on April 12 are being billed as the most important in the country’s modern history. With Hungary a key focus in the escalating confrontation between Russia and the West, this weekend’s vote could also have geopolitical implications that will be felt in Kyiv, Moscow, Brussels, and Washington. Current Hungarian Prime Minister […]


Civil Society


Conflict


UkraineAlert

Apr 2, 2026

Ukraine’s heating system resilience offers lessons for European neighbors

By
Miro Sedlák

Russia's bombardment of Ukraine's civilian heating system has forced Kyiv to develop a model of infrastructure resilience based on decentralization and speed that offers important lessons for Ukraine's EU neighbors, writes Miro Sedlák.


Conflict


Critical Infrastructure Policy


UkraineAlert

Apr 1, 2026

Europe has the resources to contain Russia but lacks the political will

By
Oleksiy Zagorodnyuk

Europe unquestionably possesses the industrial and economic base to outmatch Russia but has yet to demonstrate the unity and political will necessary to contain the Kremlin and stop Putin in Ukraine, writes Oleksiy Zagorodnyuk.


Conflict


Defense Industry


UkraineAlert

Apr 1, 2026

Ukraine’s military success is exposing the myth of inevitable Russian victory

By
Kateryna Odarchenko

The Kremlin is promoting the idea of inevitable Russian victory in Ukraine as part of efforts to deter further support for Kyiv, but this narrative is being undermined by mounting Ukrainian military successes, writes Kateryna Odarchenko.


Conflict


Disinformation


UkraineAlert

Mar 31, 2026

Zelenskyy’s Gulf region tour was a masterclass in wartime diplomacy

By
Peter Dickinson

As the Iran War focuses global attention on the Middle East, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy traveled to the Gulf region in late March on a whirlwind tour that showcased Ukraine’s growing military strength and geopolitical clout, writes Peter Dickinson.


Conflict


Defense Technologies


UkraineAlert

Mar 31, 2026

Ukraine bombs Russia’s Baltic ports as Zelenskyy targets Putin’s oil exports

By
David Kirichenko

Ukraine's President Zelenskyy says the country’s partners have called on Kyiv to scale down attacks on Russian energy infrastructure after drone strikes reportedly reduced Russia’s oil export capacity by at least 40 percent as global energy prices surge amid the Iran War, writes David Kirichenko.


Conflict


Drones


UkraineAlert

Mar 26, 2026

Only additional pressure can push Putin toward peace

By
Kira Rudik

With the Kremlin ignoring calls for a compromise peace, the only way to advance negotiations is by putting more pressure on Putin. Failure to do so could have disastrous consequences that would be felt far beyond the borders of Ukraine, writes Kira Rudik.


Conflict


Disinformation

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.

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

Jun 26, 2017

What Happens if Russia Turns Up the Heat Again in Ukraine?

By Andreas Umland

Will the low-intensity war in the Donbas continue its current course in the coming years, or will Moscow turn up the heat there, as it occasionally does? It’s hard to say. “It all comes down to geopolitics and what Putin wants to do,” said Ihor Kozak, an independent Canadian defense and security expert who visited […]

Russia Ukraine

UkraineAlert

Jun 26, 2017

How History Will Remember Vladimir Putin

By Stephen Blank

To paraphrase Pravda in 1929, Putin is the Stalin of today. Nobody since Stalin’s death has achieved such longevity or uncontested power over Russia as Putin has. Nevertheless, tomorrow he may be remembered as the Brezhnev of today, for he has presided over a galloping stagnation of the economy and public morality. At the same […]

Russia Ukraine

UkraineAlert

Jun 26, 2017

In Ukraine, Health Security Is National Security

By Olena Kucheruk and Alex T. Johnson

Three years after its invasion of Ukraine, Russia continues to pummel the country with cyberattacks, ruthless propaganda, and Grad missiles. But Ukraine’s dysfunctional institutions, especially its health care system, undermine Ukraine’s national security as well. Policies to reduce the enormous stress on Ukraine’s military and government alone ignore the delivery of core services. Without those […]

Ukraine

UkraineAlert

Jun 23, 2017

Memo to President Trump: It’s Not “The Ukraine” Anymore

By Peter Dickinson

The first meeting between Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko and US President Donald Trump on June 20 was widely hailed as a small but significant victory for Ukraine, signaling continued American support at a time when many fear Ukraine’s struggle with Russia is in danger of becoming a forgotten war. The only fly in the ointment […]

Russia Ukraine

UkraineAlert

Jun 22, 2017

Experts Urge Congress and Trump to Arm Ukraine

By Melinda Haring

A bipartisan task force made up of former US defense officials, ambassadors, and security experts renewed calls for the United States to give lethal defensive weapons to Ukraine. On June 21, the National Security Task Force of the Friends of Ukraine Network urged the United States to provide a range of weapons, intelligence, and training. […]

Ukraine

UkraineAlert

Jun 21, 2017

Russia, Not Ukraine, Is Serial Violator of Ceasefire Agreement

By John E. Herbst

Like many articles and analyses of the Minsk process, “Ukrainian Military Progress Could Violate Minsk Peace Process” requires additional analysis on the geopolitical underpinnings and implications of the issue at hand. Without this context, it is difficult to make sense of any facts presented. The context is this: Moscow is conducting the war in Ukraine’s […]

Ukraine

UkraineAlert

Jun 20, 2017

Will Ukraine Finally Pass Land Reform?

By Oksana Bedratenko

Ukraine still needs a powerful push to finally shrug off the 2014-2015 crisis, which caused its economy to contract by 16.5 percent. The IMF prescribed anticorruption reform, privatization, pension reform, and allowing private sales of land to give Ukraine that boost. It is important to move fast with these reforms for two reasons: first, elections […]

Ukraine

UkraineAlert

Jun 19, 2017

What Do Russians Think of Ukrainians, and Vice Versa?

By Taras Kuzio

Vladimir Putin’s decade long media campaigns turned Russians against Ukrainians and the Ukrainian state prior to his 2014 annexation of Crimea. The divorce between Russia and Ukraine which began with the disintegration of the USSR gained momentum after the 2004 Orange Revolution. Putin’s authoritarian and great power nationalistic regime fanned ethnic Russian nationalism, turning Russians […]

Russia Ukraine

UkraineAlert

Jun 19, 2017

What Will Ukraine’s Next Big Reform Be?

By Maria Repko

The IMF has told Ukraine that it must push through a number of reforms before it can receive any additional funds. Currently, the major effort is pension reform, something both the government and the IMF are focused on. Pensions account for 11 percent of GDP and 26 percent of public expenditures. Luckily, pension reform—unlike land […]

Ukraine

UkraineAlert

Jun 15, 2017

When Winning the War Isn’t Enough

By Andriy Kobolyev

Since Russia’s military aggression began in 2014, I have been asking myself what Ukraine must do to win. There is no simple answer, but we cannot defeat Ukraine’s external enemy until we have overcome the enemy within, which is corruption. And Ukraine is losing this internal battle. I am convinced that a zero-tolerance approach at […]

Russia Ukraine