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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 4, 2020

Zelenskyy prefers to stay silent on Russian war guilt

By
Taras Kuzio

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has made ending the country’s ongoing war with Russia his top priority. However, his reluctance to hold Moscow publicly responsible for the conflict risks complicating efforts to secure peace.


Conflict


Russia


UkraineAlert

May 4, 2020

A serious but flawed look at peace in the Donbas

By
John E. Herbst

The conflict in the Donbas cannot be solved by Ukraine and Russia alone, but the West must not unconditionally accept a "Russian consensus" to achieve it.


Conflict


European Union


UkraineAlert

May 3, 2020

Zelenskyy fails to deliver on promise of a new beginning

By
David Clark

Volodymyr Zelenskyy won the Ukrainian presidency in spring 2019 as a political outsider promising an end to decades of corrupt government. One year on, Ukrainians are still waiting for evidence of this fight against corruption.


Democratic Transitions


Populism


UkraineAlert

Apr 30, 2020

Putin must end Ukraine war if he wants sanctions relief

By
Lisa Yasko

The Kremlin is calling for sanctions to be relaxed as part of the global response to the coronavirus pandemic, but Putin has shown no accompanying inclination to end Russia's six-year war in Ukraine.


Conflict


Coronavirus


UkraineAlert

Apr 30, 2020

Ukraine must continue electoral reform in 2020

By
Harald Jepsen

Ukraine's fledgling democracy has made huge progress in recent years, but further reform of the country's Election Code is urgently required ahead of October's planned local elections, argues Harald Jepsen.


Democratic Transitions


Elections


UkraineAlert

Apr 30, 2020

Broadening Ukraine’s foreign policy horizons in the post-coronavirus world

By
Hanna Shelest

Ukraine's foreign policy has traditionally focused on the choice between Russia and the West, but the country could benefit from a more global approach to diplomacy with clearly defined regional strategies.


Coronavirus


Politics & Diplomacy


UkraineAlert

Apr 28, 2020

Coronavirus crisis spells doom for Putin’s dreams of rebuilding the Soviet empire

By
Solomiia Bobrovska

The coronavirus crisis has sparked a collapse in oil prices that is hitting Russia hard. With the Kremlin coffers increasingly empty, could change be on the horizon in Moscow for the first time since 1991?


Coronavirus


Russia


UkraineAlert

Apr 28, 2020

Three more reasons to be optimistic about Ukraine’s future

By
Adair Appleton and Doug Klain

After spending a year studying with some of the best political scientists and economists in the United States, Ukraine's up-and-coming innovators make their mark.


Civil Society


Economy & Business


UkraineAlert

Apr 27, 2020

Is Saakashvili the right choice for Ukraine?

By
Peter Dickinson

Former Georgian president Mikheil Saakashvili is on the verge of a highly unlikely return to Ukrainian politics as the country's new Deputy Prime Minister for Reforms. What might this mean for Ukraine?


Democratic Transitions


Political Reform


UkraineAlert

Apr 23, 2020

Does Putin want peace?

By
Peter Dickinson

The election of Volodymyr Zelenskyy as Ukraine's new president in April 2019 raised hopes of a breakthrough towards peace in the country's war with Russia. One year on, it is clear that only Putin can end the conflict.


Conflict


Russia

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

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

UkraineAlert

Jul 26, 2017

Setting the Record Straight about Reform in Ukraine

By John E. Herbst

Evaluating reform in Ukraine is akin to taking a Rorschach test. For Kremlin propagandists and their witting or unwitting acolytes in the West, Ukraine is an irredeemably corrupt place. To young reformers in Ukraine and some of the country’s well-wishers, progress in transforming the country is agonizingly slow and always in danger of reversal. And […]

Ukraine

UkraineAlert

Jul 26, 2017

Ukraine Does It Again: Judicial Reform Focuses on Process, Not Results

By Anastasia Krasnosilska

Sergiy Koziakov, the head of the High Qualification Commission of Judges (HQCJ), calls the selection process for Ukraine’s new Supreme Court a model process but overlooks the actual results. Ukrainians, tired of assessing never-ending processes, are judging the competition by its results. The hours of interviews with the candidates, the fact that interviews were broadcasted […]

Ukraine

UkraineAlert

Jul 26, 2017

Unexpected Industry: Dozens of New Enterprises Signal Ukraine’s Economic Recovery

By Vitalii Rybak

Ukraine’s industrial sector has had a difficult spell. The production of heavy coal, steel, and machinery, inherited from the Soviet past, have traditionally been linked to technologically obsolete post-Soviet markets and until recently were declining. The war in eastern Ukraine and Russia’s closure of its markets as a punishment for Ukraine’s pro-Western course only accelerated […]

Ukraine