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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

Nov 3, 2026

Europe must weigh rising Ukraine costs against higher price of Russian victory

By
Peter Dickinson

If Russia succeeds in overrunning an underfunded and exhausted Ukraine, the consequences for Europe will be catastrophic and the price tag of stopping an emboldened Putin will dwarf the current cost of supporting Kyiv, writes Peter Dickinson.


Conflict


Defense Policy


UkraineAlert

Nov 3, 2026

A strong defense industry may be Ukraine’s best security guarantee

By
Leonid Baratz

Ukrainians have little faith in written guarantees and are well aware that nobody is going to fight Russia on their behalf. Instead, their most realistic security guarantee is a strong Ukrainian military backed by a powerful domestic defense industry, writes Leonid Baratz.


Conflict


Defense Industry


UkraineAlert

Oct 29, 2026

Ukraine’s drone defenses debunk the myth of inevitable Russian victory

By
Mykola Bielieskov

Ukraine’s emergence since 2022 as a drone superpower has made international headlines, but the role of drone-based air defenses on the battlefield has not yet received as much attention as it arguably deserves, writes Mykola Bielieskov.


Conflict


Defense Industry


UkraineAlert

Oct 29, 2026

Putin’s quest to reclaim ‘historical Russian lands’ is a recipe for endless war

By
Peter Dickinson

Russian President Vladimir Putin's insistence that Ukraine is "historically Russian land" reveals the extent of his imperial ambitions and represents a recipe for endless war, writes Peter Dickinson.


Conflict


Disinformation


UkraineAlert

Oct 27, 2026

UN report: Russian attacks on Ukraine’s power grid are a ‘crime against humanity’

By
Kateryna Odarchenko

Russia’s bombardment of Ukraine’s civilian power grid qualifies as a crime against humanity, according to a new report by the UN’s Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine, writes Kateryna Odarchenko.


Conflict


Drones


UkraineAlert

Oct 27, 2026

European infrastructure is vulnerable as Putin escalates Russia’s hybrid war

By
Maksym Beznosiuk

Putin is currently looking to exploit Europe’s vulnerabilities as he seeks ways to isolate Ukraine and cut off Kyiv’s European aid lifeline. Civilian infrastructure may be one of the continent’s weakest links, writes Maksym Beznosiuk.


Conflict


Critical Infrastructure Policy


UkraineAlert

Oct 21, 2026

Ukrainians are not fighting for Zelenskyy. They are fighting for national survival.

By
Peter Dickinson

Trump and Putin both seem to think that removing Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy would set the stage for a Kremlin-friendly peace deal, but most Ukrainians see the war as a fight for national survival that does not depend on any one man, writes Peter Dickinson.


Conflict


Education


UkraineAlert

Oct 21, 2026

Moldova’s fight against Kremlin interference faces Gagauzia election test

By
Laurențiu Pleșca, Will Kingston-Cox

Moldova’s democratic resilience faces a revealing litmus test on November 15, when autonomous Gagauzia elects a new governor and People’s Assembly amid concerns over Kremlin interference, write Laurențiu Pleșca and Will Kingston-Cox.


Conflict


Democratic Transitions


UkraineAlert

Oct 21, 2026

Russian attacks on Ukrainian civilians may have a domestic dimension

By
Syrus Solo Jin, Anton Ponomarenko

Russia's escalating bombing campaign against civilian targets across Ukraine aims to make much of the country unlivable while also serving a propaganda purpose for the Kremlin on the home front, write Syrus Solo Jin and Anton Ponomarenko.


Conflict


Disinformation


UkraineAlert

Oct 16, 2026

Ukrainian drone strikes highlight the vulnerability of Russia’s data centers

By
Leonid Baratz

The idea of Ukrainian drones silencing Kremlin bots clearly caught the world’s imagination, but the real story behind Ukraine’s recent drone strikes on Russia’s mega data centers is one of strategic vulnerability, writes Leonid Baratz.


Conflict


Defense Policy

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

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

UkraineAlert

Jun 14, 2017

Miracle of 2014 Was Ukraine’s Dunkirk

By Peter Dickinson

One of the biggest blockbuster movies of summer 2017 looks likely to be “Dunkirk,” a WWII drama set on the beaches of northern France in summer 1940 as Adolf Hitler’s panzer armies closed in on pockets of trapped and surrounded allied forces. The film will introduce global audiences to one of the most celebrated events […]

Ukraine