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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

Sep 9, 2022

Russia’s war of aggression in Ukraine demands special international tribunal

By
Olena Khomenko

Ukraine is urging the international community to establish a special tribunal in order to prosecute Russia for the crime of aggression and bring an end to the impunity that is fueling the Putin regime's criminal foreign policy.


Conflict


European Union


UkraineAlert

Sep 8, 2022

There can be no compromise between Russian genocide and Ukrainian freedom

By
Peter Dickinson

Calls for a negotiated peace settlement in Ukraine fail to recognize that Russia's imperial ambitions and the Kremlin's genocidal objectives render any kind of compromise incompatible with Ukrainian statehood.


Conflict


Democratic Transitions


UkraineAlert

Sep 8, 2022

Russia may not survive Putin’s disastrous decision to invade Ukraine

By
Janusz Bugajski

The Russian Federation looks set to face growing threats from domestic separatist movements in the coming years as Vladimir Putin's disastrous decision to invade Ukraine serves as a catalyst for imperial collapse.


Civil Society


Conflict


UkraineAlert

Sep 6, 2022

Europe can win Putin’s gas war but must learn Nord Stream lessons

By
Anders Åslund

With Russia now dropping all pretense and openly declaring that it will not renew gas deliveries to the EU until sanctions are scrapped, it is vital to learn the lessons from Europe’s earlier refusal to recognize the Kremlin’s weaponization of energy exports.


Conflict


Corruption


UkraineAlert

Sep 4, 2022

Rigged Russian referendums: Putin’s plan to annex occupied Ukraine

By
Olga Aivazovska

Western leaders must clearly signal to the Kremlin that any attempt to stage fake referendums and annex Russian-occupied regions of Ukraine will result in increased sanctions, writes Olga Aivazovska.


Conflict


Disinformation


UkraineAlert

Sep 2, 2022

Russia’s self-defeating invasion: Why Vladimir Putin has lost Ukraine forever

By
Taras Kuzio

The Russian invasion of Ukraine aimed to extinguish Ukrainian statehood and return the country to the Kremlin orbit. Instead, the war unleashed by Putin has sparked an unprecedented wave of de-Russification.


Civil Society


Conflict


UkraineAlert

Sep 1, 2022

Death of Mikhail Gorbachev highlights Europe’s lingering memory divide

By
Peter Dickinson

The death of Mikhail Gorbachev has highlighted the memory divide between Western Europe and the countries of the former Eastern Bloc that also shapes contemporary attitudes toward Putin's imperial agenda.


Conflict


Democratic Transitions


UkraineAlert

Sep 1, 2022

Flawed assumptions hamper Western response to Russia’s Ukraine War

By
Glenn Chafetz, Richard D. Hooker, Jr.

The Western response to Russia's Ukraine invasion is being undermined by flawed assumptions over the danger of a possible nuclear escalation and the need to maintain a workable relationship with Russia.


Conflict


European Union


UkraineAlert

Aug 31, 2022

Russia must be held accountable for committing genocide in Ukraine

By
Danielle Johnson

Efforts to hold Russia accountable for genocide in Ukraine will involve war crimes trials but must also focus on the broader challenge of addressing Russia's historical sense of impunity, writes Danielle Johnson


Conflict


Disinformation


UkraineAlert

Aug 30, 2022

The Ukrainian military must reorganize to defeat Russia

By
Richard D. Hooker, Jr.

Ukraine has achieved military miracles to derail Russia's invasion plans but reorganization of the Ukrainian Armed Forces is necessary if the country is to be fully liberated from Russian occupation, writes Richard D. Hooker, Jr.


Conflict


Defense Industry

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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

May 3, 2017

Mikheil Saakashvili: “By my own standards, I failed on every account in Odesa.”

By Diane Francis

Mikheil Saakashvili strode into the Toronto Four Seasons Hotel on a Saturday morning, all smiles and apologies for being late. The café was empty, except for myself, a handful of patrons, and a young waiter who had recently immigrated from Ukraine. I told him who I was waiting for and he smiled. Saakashvili is only […]

Russia The Caucasus

UkraineAlert

May 2, 2017

Does RT Really Believe in Free Speech? Prove It

By Jeffrey Gedmin

RT aims to discredit the United States in a straightforward way. The Kremlin-funded television network—established in 2005, operating in English, Arabic, and Spanish—doesn’t report on America and the West warts and all, but rather focuses single-mindedly on warts alone. That’s not all. Sins of omission, falsehoods, and conspiracy theories—like Ukraine shooting down the Malaysian Airlines […]

France Russia

UkraineAlert

May 1, 2017

What Can Ukraine Learn from the Balkans?

By Gunther Fehlinger

Ukraine wants to join the European Union, but the level of support among many EU member states is low or nonexistent. Many are afraid of Russia’s reaction and lack a clear understanding of both the climate in post-Euromaidan Ukraine and the country’s strong commitment to Western integration. The situation is challenging in all aspects. War […]

Moldova The Balkans

UkraineAlert

Apr 26, 2017

How Ukraine Can Win Back Crimea

By Valentyn Nalyvaichenko

The Crimean Tatars are finally receiving the attention they deserve, and that Ukraine must give, if it is to regain Crimea and again be a unified country. On April 19, 2017, the International Court of Justice at The Hague issued a provisional ruling calling for an end to racial discrimination against Crimean Tatars, as well […]

Russia Ukraine

UkraineAlert

Apr 25, 2017

NATO’s Real Problem Isn’t Defense Spending

By Stephen Blank

When US President Donald Trump attends the NATO summit in Brussels on May 25, he should press the Alliance to confront Moscow’s conventional military superiority and nuclear blackmail tactics, rather than endlessly needle the Europeans about defense spending. NATO undoubtedly needs additional funding sources, but the unwillingness of European countries to meet their 2 percent […]

NATO Russia

UkraineAlert

Apr 25, 2017

What Do European Countries Think about Russia?

By Jakub Janda

On April 24, the European Values Think-Tank released a new major study examining how individual member states of the European Union perceive the threat coming from the Russian Federation. More than 450 policy documents, intelligence reports, and other sources were used to assess how Russia’s aggressive behavior impacts the foreign and security policies of the […]

Russia Ukraine

UkraineAlert

Apr 24, 2017

Russia Funds and Manages Conflict in Ukraine, Leaks Show

By Aric Toler and Melinda Haring

Hacked emails show that the Kremlin directs and funds the ostensibly independent republics in eastern Ukraine and runs military operations there. In late 2016, Ukrainian hacker groups released emails purportedly taken from the office of Kremlin official Vladislav Surkov, who oversees Ukraine policy for Russian President Vladimir Putin. The Surkov leaks confirm what many have […]

Russia Ukraine

UkraineAlert

Apr 24, 2017

Russia’s Desperation for More Soldiers Is Taking It to Dark Places

By Valentyn Badrak, Lada Roslycky, Mykhailo Samus, and Volodymyr Kopchak

Russia’s armed aggression against Ukraine and intensive military operations in Syria have caused a very big problem: a shortage of qualified people to man its occupation forces. This personnel gap, caused by permanent, heavy losses suffered by Russia’s forces, has drastically changed the scale and character of its military missions. At the early stages of […]

Russia Syria

UkraineAlert

Apr 24, 2017

More Solidarity with Ukraine Needed, Say Speakers at the Kyiv Security Forum

By Ariel Cohen

The Tenth Kyiv Security Forum—an important foreign affairs conference conducted annually by the Open Ukraine Foundation—occurred on April 6-7. Headed by Ukraine’s former Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk and his wife Terezia, the conference underscored an important message: the need for the West to stay engaged and maintain security in the borderlands between Russia and Central […]

Belarus Moldova

UkraineAlert

Apr 20, 2017

Who’s Been Monkeying with Ukraine’s Judicial Reforms Again?

By Mykhailo Zhernakov

Ukraine is building its new Supreme Court from scratch–a bold move as a part of its comprehensive judicial reform. Candidates who are running for the Supreme Court have undergone a series of tests, but still must pass a final interview. All along, this process offered great hope for dramatic change in Ukraine’s judiciary, but it […]

Ukraine