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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, 2025

Putin’s Arctic ambitions: Russia eyes natural resources and shipping routes

By
Bohdan Ustymenko

Russia’s plans to expand its influence in the Arctic region and dominate the Northern Sea Route together with China pose serious security challenges for the international community, writes Bohdan Ustymenko.

China
Conflict


UkraineAlert

Apr 8, 2025

Russia’s endless ceasefire excuses are proof that Putin does not want peace

By
Peter Dickinson

Russia’s endless ceasefire excuses are proof that Vladimir Putin does not want peace and remains committed to the complete destruction of Ukraine as a state and as a nation, writes Peter Dickinson.

Disinformation
Elections


UkraineAlert

Apr 4, 2025

Lithuanians pay tribute to US soldiers who died in training exercise tragedy

By
Agnia Grigas

Thousands of Lithuanians paid tribute this week to four United States soldiers who died during a training exercise in the Baltic nation, writes Agnia Grigas.

Conflict
Defense Policy


UkraineAlert

Apr 3, 2025

The West must stop seeking Putin’s permission for peace in Ukraine

By
Alyona Getmanchuk

If Western leaders are serious about achieving a lasting peace in Europe, they must move decisively to provide Ukraine with security guarantees without worrying whether Putin will agree or not, writes Alyona Getmanchuk.

Conflict
European Union


UkraineAlert

Apr 1, 2025

Russian advance slows in March as Putin’s invasion loses momentum

By
Peter Dickinson

Putin says his invading army is now poised to “finish off” the Ukrainian military, but in reality Russian forces continued to lose momentum in March 2025, with the Kremlin’s territorial gains reportedly falling for a fourth consecutive month, writes Peter Dickinson.

Conflict
Defense Industry


UkraineAlert

Apr 1, 2025

Peace on Putin’s terms would lead to a new era of international insecurity

By
Oleksandr Merezhko

As Trump seeks to end the war in Ukraine, it is apparent that any peace on Putin’s terms would signal the dawn of a dangerous new era marked by mounting instability, international aggression, and the looming threat of nuclear war, writes Oleksandr Merezhko.

China
Conflict


UkraineAlert

Apr 1, 2025

Still no consensus on using frozen Russian assets to support Ukraine

By
Mark Temnycky

Western leaders are still unable to reach a consensus on the use of around $300 billion in frozen Russian assets to finance the Ukrainian war effort, writes Mark Temnycky.

Conflict
Economic Sanctions


UkraineAlert

Mar 27, 2025

UN report: Russia is guilty of crimes against humanity in occupied Ukraine

By
Peter Dickinson

A new United Nations report has concluded that Russia is guilty of committing crimes against humanity in the occupied regions of Ukraine, writes Peter Dickinson.

Conflict
Freedom and Prosperity


UkraineAlert

Mar 27, 2025

Sanctions will remain an essential tool to deter future Russian aggression  

By
Ilona Khmeleva 

Ukraine needs security guarantees to prevent a renewal of Russia’s invasion following any peace deal, but the threat of severe sanctions can also help deter the Kremlin from further military aggression, writes Ilona Khmeleva.

Conflict
Economic Sanctions


UkraineAlert

Mar 26, 2025

If Trump wants peace in Ukraine, he must increase the pressure on Putin

By
Doug Klain

Weeks after Ukraine backed a US proposal for an unconditional ceasefire, Russia continues to stall and push for further concessions. If Trump wants to secure peace, he must increase the pressure on Putin, writes Doug Klain.

Conflict
Defense Technologies

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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.

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 11, 2016

Let’s Do the Numbers: What Would Ukraine’s Parliament Look Like if Elections Were Held Today?

By Brian Mefford

Ukraine will likely avoid early parliamentary elections this year. Some analysts feared that early elections would bring populists to power, while others reasoned that they might bring more reformers into parliament. Barring a collapse of the thin parliamentary majority that made Volodomyr Groisman Ukraine’s prime minister on April 14, he has one year to perform […]

Ukraine

UkraineAlert

May 9, 2016

Why Ukraine Needs the IMF

By Anders Åslund

Just after the May holidays, a mission from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) plans to visit Ukraine from May 10-18. The Ukrainian government and the informed public pay great attention to this event, and rightly so. Ukraine is likely to obtain a much delayed credit of $1.7 billion by mid-June. The beauty of the IMF […]

Ukraine

UkraineAlert

May 9, 2016

Ukraine’s Unique Totalitarian Trauma Offers Key to Historic Healing

By Peter Dickinson

Across the former Soviet Union, May 9 is traditionally the date for Victory Day celebrations to mark the end of World War II. In Ukraine, it can often feel as if the war never actually ended. Ever since Ukraine gained independence in 1991, World War II has served as a proxy battleground for Ukrainians as […]

Russia Ukraine

UkraineAlert

May 9, 2016

Why EU Sanctions on Russia Are Overrated but Still Needed

By Christopher A. Hartwell and Andreas Umland

Calls for canceling the EU’s sanctions on Russia after they expire in July 2016 have recently been gathering momentum across Western Europe. On April 28, the French parliament passed a non-binding resolution recommending that the EU’s trade limits and other restrictions on Russia be lifted. Framing the sanctions as both ineffective and dangerous to France’s […]

Russia Ukraine

UkraineAlert

May 4, 2016

The Long Arm of Russian “Soft” Power

By Orysia Lutsevych

Anxious about losing ground to Western influence in the post-Soviet space and the ousting of pro-Russia elites by popular electoral uprisings in the early 2000s, the Kremlin has developed a range of proxy groups in support of its foreign policy. This network of pro-Kremlin groups promotes the Russian World (Russkiy Mir), a flexible tool that […]

Moldova Russia

UkraineAlert

May 3, 2016

Ukraine’s New Government Scores Big Reform Win

By Basil A. Kalymon

Land Reform Should Be Next April 27 was a bellwether day for economic reform in Ukraine. Prime Minister Volodymyr Groysman announced that the cabinet has decided to unify natural gas prices in Ukraine to a single market price for both retail and industrial users. Effectively, this implies increased prices for the retail consumer that will […]

Ukraine

UkraineAlert

May 2, 2016

What the Banning of Crimean Tatars’ Mejlis Means

By Eleanor Knott

In the two years since Russia illegally annexed Crimea, Crimean Tatars have faced the brunt of the de facto authorities’ brutality. On April 15, Crimea’s so-called prosecutor, Natalia Poklonskaya, banned the Mejlis, Crimean Tatars’ representative body in Crimea, labelling it “an extremist organization.” Following the prosecutor’s move, Crimea’s Supreme Court banned the Mejlis on April […]

Russia Ukraine

UkraineAlert

May 2, 2016

Memo to Europe: Don’t Fall for Russia’s Empty Promises

By Stephen Blank

As of this writing, the “cessation of hostilities” in Syria has all but collapsed, and thousands of Russian forces are aiding Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s campaign to retake Aleppo. At the same time, the Minsk II agreement between Russia and Ukraine remains, as it always has been, an agreement more honored in the breach than […]

NATO Russia

UkraineAlert

Apr 28, 2016

Yanukovych Cronies Try Last-Ditch Effort to Dilute Ukraine’s Transparency Reforms

By Josh Cohen

On March 15, Ukraine’s parliament passed an important anticorruption initiative that requires officials to file an electronic declaration listing their financial assets—meeting a requirement for visa liberalization. While Kyiv continues to fixate on President Petro Poroshenko’s new government, on April 18 the Constitutional Court of Ukraine (CCU) began to consider an appeal put forth by forty-eight […]

Russia Ukraine

UkraineAlert

Apr 27, 2016

Has Ukraine Passed the Tipping Point Yet?

By Melinda Haring

How are Ukraine’s reforms coming along? It depends who you ask. During a recent visit to Kyiv, I heard a wide range of views. “Reforms are painful, slow, and haven’t passed the tipping point yet,” said Orysia Lutsevych, manager of the Ukraine Forum at London’s Chatham House, during the Kyiv Security Forum on April 14-15. […]

Ukraine