UkraineAlert

UkraineAlert is a comprehensive online publication that provides regular news and analysis on developments in Ukraine’s politics, economy, civil society, and culture. UkraineAlert sources analysis and commentary from a wide-array of thought-leaders, politicians, experts, and activists from Ukraine and the global community. UkraineAlert has become a major publication in Ukraine’s news landscape and has established itself not only through its quality of content but also significant partnerships with English, Ukrainian, and Russian-language media through the country.

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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

Mar 24, 2026

US secures new Belarus prisoner release in exchange for sanctions relief

By
Mercedes Sapuppo

Belarus dictator Alyaksandr Lukashenka released 250 political prisoners on March 19 in exchange for US sanctions relief as Washington’s efforts to revive diplomatic ties with Minsk continued, writes Mercedes Sapuppo.


Belarus


Conflict


UkraineAlert

Mar 24, 2026

Could Russia use fake separatists to destabilize Estonia and discredit NATO?

By
James Rice

In recent weeks, references to a pro-Russian separatist movement in neighboring Estonia have begun appearing with increasing frequency on social media. However, not everyone is convinced that the so-called "Narva People's Republic" is worthy of serious attention, writes James Rice.


Conflict


Disinformation


UkraineAlert

Mar 19, 2026

Putin is counting on Western disunity to hand him victory in Ukraine

By
Mykola Bielieskov

Russian President Vladimir Putin has been unable to defeat the Ukrainians on the battlefield but he remains confident that Western disunity will ultimately hand him victory in Ukraine, writes Mykola Bielieskov.


Conflict


European Union


UkraineAlert

Mar 19, 2026

Wartime Ukraine offers global lessons on the future of cyber resilience

By
Oleksandr Bakalynskyi, Maggie McDonough

The twelve years of cyber warfare that have accompanied Russia’s escalating invasion of Ukraine have transformed the country’s digital environment into a proving ground for modern conflict, write Oleksandr Bakalynskyi and Maggie McDonough.


Conflict


Critical Infrastructure Policy


UkraineAlert

Mar 17, 2026

The Iran war is good for the Russian economy but bad for Putin’s prestige

By
Maksym Beznosiuk, Will Dixon

From Armenia and Syria to Venezuela and Iran, Moscow’s inability since 2022 to aid its allies in times of crisis has seriously damaged Russia’s reputation as a global power, write Maksym Beznosiuk and Will Dixon.


Conflict


Geopolitics & Energy Security


UkraineAlert

Mar 14, 2026

UN: Putin’s deportation of Ukrainian children is a crime against humanity

By
Peter Dickinson

Russia’s deportation of Ukrainian children is a crime against humanity, a new United Nations investigation has found. The mass abduction and indoctrination of Ukrainian children is part of a genocidal Kremlin plan to erase Ukrainian identity, writes Peter Dickinson.


Conflict


Disinformation


UkraineAlert

Mar 12, 2026

Iran war highlights Ukraine’s rapid rise to drone superpower status

By
David Kirichenko

The Iran war has sparked a sudden surge in international demand for Kyiv’s unique anti-drone expertise and highlighted Ukraine's rapid emergence as one of the world's leading drone warfare superpowers, writes David Kirichenko.


Conflict


Defense Technologies


UkraineAlert

Mar 10, 2026

Western leaders must abandon false hopes of negotiated peace with Putin

By
Oleksandr Merezhko

If Western leaders seek a sustainable peace in Europe, they must abandon false hopes of a negotiated deal with Putin and instead demonstrate the kind of resolve that will make Russia listen, writes Oleksandr Merezhko.


Conflict


European Union


UkraineAlert

Mar 10, 2026

Russian talk of protecting compatriots masks Putin’s imperial ambitions

By
Agnia Grigas

Four years after Russia launched its full scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the international debate about how the war should end remains haunted by myths first promoted by the Kremlin more than a decade ago, writes Agnia Grigas.


Belarus


Central Asia


UkraineAlert

Mar 5, 2026

Iran war could save Vladimir Putin’s failing Ukraine invasion

By
Peter Dickinson

While Russia’s inability to assist Iran is undoubtedly embarrassing for the Kremlin, Vladimir Putin could still emerge as a key beneficiary of the escalating conflict in the Middle East, writes Peter Dickinson.


Conflict


Drones

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

May 18, 2017

Something Is Very Wrong in Kyiv

By Josh Cohen

Ukraine Brags about Reforms and Harasses Activists Oleksandra Ustinova does not scare easily. Ustinova—Ustik to her friends—is a member of the board of the most outspoken watchdog in Kyiv and has led lobbying campaigns which successfully pushed through anticorruption reforms in Ukraine. She’s also a recognizable face with her straight blond hair and light blue […]

Ukraine

UkraineAlert

May 17, 2017

From Russia with Hate: The Kremlin’s Support for Violent Extremism in Central Europe

By Péter Krekó and Lóránt Győri

In 2016, the mayor of Ásotthalom, a small Hungarian town close to the country’s southern border, celebrated the opening of Gagarin Street with an obelisk to Soviet astronaut Yuri Gagarin and a speech about Russia’s greatness. The mayor was László Toroczkai, an extremist politician who serves as the vice president of the far-right Jobbik party; […]

Central Europe Hungary

UkraineAlert

May 17, 2017

Crimea’s Virtual Blackout Means Anything Goes

By Yuriy Lukanov

On Ukraine’s Crimean peninsula, the Russian authorities are suppressing freedom of speech so that no one will really know what has happened there. Journalists in particular are under threat. The case of Ukrainian journalist Mykola Semena is one example of the situation in Crimea, which Russia has illegally occupied since 2014. His opinions were published […]

Russia Ukraine

UkraineAlert

May 15, 2017

Why Ukraine’s Worst Enemy Is Not Vladimir Putin

By Peter Dickinson

Identifying Ukraine’s enemies has become a popular pastime. Unsurprisingly, Russia was the first one to be listed after the Kremlin dropped any pretense of Slavic fraternity and invaded the country. Corruption was next. Whereas Russia was the enemy at the gates, corruption was the enemy within. An eclectic collection of lesser enemies has since joined […]

Russia Ukraine

UkraineAlert

May 15, 2017

Why the Internet May Save Us After All

By Nina Jankowicz

New Activists in Belarus and Russia Take to the Streets after Videos and Memes Spread On a single weekend in March, Russia and Belarus witnessed their largest protests in five years. Both countries have seen major street demonstrations in the past, but these were different and catalyzed by social media. The widespread use of online […]

Belarus Russia

UkraineAlert

May 15, 2017

Ukrainian Jews Find Safe Haven, Challenges in Israel

By Larry Luxner

Every Sunday and Tuesday evening, Alena Sapiro, 26, takes the hour-long bus ride from her home in Lod to attend Ramit Avidan’s intermediate Hebrew classes at Ulpan Gordon, a Tel Aviv school for new immigrants run by the Israeli Ministry of Absorption. Sapiro, who helps develop mobile apps for a local software company, came on […]

Israel Ukraine

UkraineAlert

May 15, 2017

Ukraine PM Groisman Visits Israel, Marking Improvement in Delicate Bilateral Relations

By Larry Luxner

The May 14 arrival of Ukrainian Prime Minister Volodymyr Groisman to Israel signals a rapprochement of ties that suffered a temporary blow last December, when Ukraine—along with thirteen other countries—voted to support a UN Security Council resolution condemning Israeli settlements in the West Bank. Groisman is the first Jewish prime minister in Ukrainian history. He […]

Israel Ukraine

UkraineAlert

May 10, 2017

Q&A: Will We Ever Get to the Bottom of Russian Hacking in the US Election?

By Melinda Haring

President Donald Trump fired FBI director James Comey on May 9. Comey had been leading a criminal investigation into whether Trump’s advisers colluded with the Russian government to influence the results of the 2016 presidential election. Trump justified the firing by pointing to the way Comey handled the investigation into Hillary Clinton’s private email server, […]

Russia

UkraineAlert

May 10, 2017

Ukraine Needs Tough Love and IMF Conditionality, Leshchenko Urges

By Diane Francis

“The IMF should not give one more dollar to Ukraine until the Anti-Corruption Court is in operation,” said Sergii Leshchenko in a May 9 telephone interview. Leshchenko is a hero of the Revolution of Dignity, a lanky and serious journalist-turned-politician who has risked his life and career for years to fight corruption in Ukraine. He’s […]

Ukraine

UkraineAlert

May 10, 2017

Russia Deploys Banned Missile and Brags about It

By Semen Kabakaev

Thirty years ago, on December 8, 1987, Mikhail Gorbachev and Ronald Reagan signed the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF), which entered into force on June 1, 1988. The parties pledged not to produce, test or deploy ballistic and cruise land-based missiles of medium range (from 1,000 to 5,500 kilometers). Elimination of all declared missiles and […]

Russia Ukraine