Stay Updated

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

The Dissolution of the Soviet Union: Then and Now

UkraineAlert
Jan 20, 2026

Ukraine’s best security guarantee is the ability to strike back inside Russia

By
Serhii Kuzan

With Kyiv’s Western allies unlikely to risk war with Russia, Ukraine’s most realistic security guarantee remains a strong military coupled with the ability to strike targets deep inside Russia, writes Serhii Kuzan.

Conflict
Defense Policy

The Dissolution of the Soviet Union: Then and Now

UkraineAlert
Jan 15, 2026

Veterans can shape the future of Ukrainian democracy

By
Vasyl Sehin

The participation of military veterans in Ukraine’s political life has the potential to dramatically strengthen Ukrainian democracy and safeguard the country’s historic transition from centuries of Russian autocracy, writes Vasyl Sehin.

Conflict
Democratic Transitions

The Dissolution of the Soviet Union: Then and Now

UkraineAlert
Jan 8, 2026

Ukraine’s robot army will be crucial in 2026 but drones can’t replace infantry

By
David Kirichenko

Ukraine’s growing robot army of land drones will play a vital role in the country’s defense during 2026, but they are not wonder weapons and cannot serve as a miracle cure for Kyiv’s manpower shortages, writes David Kirichenko.

Artificial Intelligence
Conflict

Latest analysis

UkraineAlert

Feb 20, 2026

After four years of Russia’s invasion, time to stop underestimating Ukraine

By
<span class="gta-embed–tax–expert gta-post-embed–tax–expert" >Mykola Bielieskov</span>

As Russia's invasion of Ukraine enters a fifth year, it is time to stop underestimating the Ukrainian military and recognize that Kyiv is now a major military power with plenty of trump cards in its possession, writes Mykola Bielieskov.


Conflict

Defense Technologies


UkraineAlert

Feb 19, 2026

Ukraine hopes escalating Russian losses will push Putin toward peace

By
<span class="gta-embed–tax–expert gta-post-embed–tax–expert" >David Kirichenko</span>

As the Russian invasion enters a fifth year, Ukraine is hoping escalating Russian losses can finally force Putin to seek a meaningful settlement, writes David Kirichenko.


Conflict

Defense Policy


UkraineAlert

Feb 19, 2026

As Russian battlefield losses mount, Putin is turning to Africa for soldiers

By
<span class="gta-embed–tax–expert gta-post-embed–tax–expert">Katherine Spencer</span>

Russia’s growing reliance on African recruits to continue the war in Ukraine is a powerful symbol of an invasion that has gone horribly wrong for Kremlin dictator Vladimir Putin, writes Katherine Spencer.


Africa

Conflict


UkraineAlert

Feb 17, 2026

Ukrainian defense tech companies must prepare for export opportunities

By
<span class="gta-embed–tax–expert gta-post-embed–tax–expert" >Michael Druckman </span>

Ukraine’s defense sector has already demonstrated enormous battlefield credibility. The next phase is commercial and institutional credibility, writes Michael Druckman.


Conflict

Defense Industry


UkraineAlert

Feb 17, 2026

A bad Ukraine peace could ignite new wars in Russia’s former empire

By
<span class="gta-embed–tax–expert gta-post-embed–tax–expert" >Joseph Epstein</span>

If a settlement in Ukraine frees up Russian military resources without establishing credible deterrents against further Kremlin aggression, Moscow will have the means and the motive to reassert dominance elsewhere in its former empire, writes Joseph Epstein.


Central Asia

European Union


UkraineAlert

Feb 12, 2026

Vladimir Putin is trapped in a war he cannot win but dare not end

By
<span class="gta-embed–tax–expert gta-post-embed–tax–expert">Peter Dickinson</span>

As the fourth anniversary of Russia's full-scale Ukraine invasion approaches, Vladimir Putin finds himself trapped in a war he cannot win but dare not end for fear of entering Russian history as the man who lost Ukraine, writes Peter Dickinson.


Conflict

Disinformation


UkraineAlert

Feb 12, 2026

Ukraine says lifting football ban would risk legitimizing Russia’s invasion

By
<span class="gta-embed–tax–expert gta-post-embed–tax–expert">Mark Temnycky</span>

Ukraine’s Sports Minister Matvii Bidnyi has slammed calls for Russia’s return to international football and warned that any attempt to reinstate the Russians would risk legitimizing the country’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine, writes Mark Temnycky.


Conflict

Corruption


UkraineAlert

Feb 9, 2026

The Putin regime faces mounting pressure but is still far from collapse

By
<span class="gta-embed–tax–expert gta-post-embed–tax–expert" >Will Dixon, Maksym Beznosiuk</span>

Russia is facing mounting challenges on the battlefield in Ukraine and on the home front, but predictions that the Putin regime is on the brink of collapse remain premature, write Will Dixon and Maksym Beznosiuk.


Conflict

Corruption


UkraineAlert

Feb 7, 2026

Death by cold: Russia is attempting to freeze millions of Ukrainian civilians

By
<span class="gta-embed–tax–expert gta-post-embed–tax–expert">Kristina Hook</span>

Russia is methodically bombing Ukraine's power and heating infrastructure amid arctic weather conditions in a bid to freeze millions of Ukrainian civilians and make much of the country unlivable, writes Kristina Hook.


Conflict

Drones


UkraineAlert

Feb 5, 2026

Ukrainian democracy is proving its resilience in wartime conditions

By
<span class="gta-embed–tax–expert gta-post-embed–tax–expert" >Oleksiy Goncharenko</span>

Since the onset of Russia's full-scale invasion four years ago, Ukrainians have accepted the necessity of wartime measures to concentrate power while remaining committed to safeguarding the country's hard-won democratic gains, writes Oleksiy Goncharenko.


Civil Society

Conflict

Load More

spotlight

Resilience in the face of adversity

Ukraine’s transformation

Ukraine has moved tentatively toward an open society and market economy since independence. The country has held several democratic elections and made halting progress in addressing corruption and state control in its economy. Since the 2014 Maidan Revolution, Ukraine has undertaken significant governance and economic reform and moved decisively toward a Europe-Atlantic foreign policy. Since 2022, Ukraine has resiliently continued to advance some reforms despite fighting for its very existence against the full-scale Russian invasion.

Learn more about Ukraine

The Dissolution of the Soviet Union: Then and Now

UkraineAlert
Dec 5, 2024

Ukraine’s entrepreneurial class can drive the country’s economic recovery

The Ukrainian SME sector has demonstrated remarkable wartime resilience and is poised to be at the forefront of efforts to create a modern, innovative, postwar economy, writes Anton Waschuk.

Read More

The Dissolution of the Soviet Union: Then and Now

UkraineAlert
Oct 1, 2024

Ukraine needs international investors to maintain defense tech momentum

By
Mykhailo Fedorov

Ukraine’s rapidly expanding defense tech sector can play a game-changing role in the war against Russia but Ukrainian companies need international investment, writes Ukraine’s Minister for Digital Transformation Mykhailo Fedorov.

Artificial Intelligence
Conflict

The Dissolution of the Soviet Union: Then and Now

UkraineAlert
Jun 13, 2024

Ukraine officially embraces English as historic westward pivot continues

By
Oleksiy Goncharenko

By officially embracing English, Ukrainians aim to support their country’s historic pivot away from Moscow and return to the European community of nations, writes Oleksiy Goncharenko.

Civil Society
Conflict

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.

Learn more

Follow us on social media
and support our work

support our work

Content

UkraineAlert

Nov 21, 2016

The Dissolution of the Soviet Union: Then and Now

By <span class="gta-embed--tax--expert gta-post-embed--tax--expert" >Amanda Abrams</span>

Former Ukrainian President Leonid Kravchuk still believes deeply in the power of international norms to maintain peace. “Today’s world is based on great principles: sovereignty, territorial integrity, and untouchable borders. And as far as I understand the situation, the United States is the guardian of these principles,” said Kravchuk at an event on November 18, […]

Belarus Russia

UkraineAlert

Nov 17, 2016

The Russian Plot against Europe

By <span class="gta-embed--tax--expert gta-post-embed--tax--expert" >Alina Polyakova</span>

Russia’s influence reaches deep into Western Europe. France has a major far-right, Eurosceptic, and openly pro-Russian party that receives funding from the Kremlin. In London, Brexit provides an opportunity for Moscow to gain a toehold in British politics. Germany’s former Chancellor Gerhard Schröder serves as chairman of the Russian-German pipeline Nord Stream. But these examples […]

European Union France

UkraineAlert

Nov 15, 2016

Ukraine’s Reforms Are Pointless without Resolving Security Issues

By <span class="gta-embed--tax--expert gta-post-embed--tax--expert" >Andreas Umland</span>

Making Western assistance to Kyiv more effective is crucial to Ukraine’s future. Yet the West’s current approach is plagued by a strategic defect. When Western aid and Kyiv’s reforms reach a tipping point, they will trigger increasingly aggressive counter-reactions from Moscow for domestic political reasons in Russia. Until Ukraine’s fundamental security challenges are met, Western […]

Russia Ukraine

UkraineAlert

Nov 14, 2016

Watch Out, Silicon Valley. Here Comes Ukraine

By <span class="gta-embed--tax--expert gta-post-embed--tax--expert" >Yuliia Horovetska</span>

Ukraine has the potential to become Europe’s top hub for information technology and other innovation-based industries. Some major private sector businesses have already chosen Ukraine as the site of their research and development centers; among them are Aricent, Boeing, Ericsson, Oracle, and Siemens. Private business initiatives in Ukraine have given birth to well-known startups like […]

Ukraine

UkraineAlert

Nov 14, 2016

We Are Building the New Ukraine, Three Years after Euromaidan

By <span class="gta-embed--tax--expert gta-post-embed--tax--expert" >Yuriy Didula</span>

The need for reconciliation between eastern and western Ukraine is often emphasized in Ukrainian and international media, and has been the subject of dozens of roundtables in the past couple of years. Though originally from western Ukraine, I have lived and worked in the east for nearly two years, and I have come to realize […]

Ukraine

UkraineAlert

Nov 9, 2016

Here’s Why Nord Stream 2 Isn’t the Only Game in Town

By <span class="gta-embed--tax--expert gta-post-embed--tax--expert" >Olga Bielkova</span>

Most Russia watchers, including those at the Atlantic Council, recognize that in this age of hybrid warfare, energy trade is a potent weapon. What has changed with Nord Stream 2 is that the weapon is now pointed directly at the EU rather than Ukraine, and it is masquerading as a commercial project. But who could […]

Ukraine

UkraineAlert

Nov 9, 2016

Does Saakashvili’s Resignation Mark the End of Reform in Ukraine?

By <span class="gta-embed--tax--expert gta-post-embed--tax--expert" >Diane Francis</span>

Mikheil Saakashvili’s resignation this week does not mark the failure of reform efforts in Ukraine. It opens a new chapter. “Odesa can only develop once Kyiv will be freed from these bribe takers, who directly patronize organized crime and lawlessness,” he bluntly told journalists when he announced he was quitting on November 7. This opinion […]

Ukraine

UkraineAlert

Nov 9, 2016

Ukraine, Not Syria, Should Be Top Priority for President Trump

By <span class="gta-embed--tax--expert gta-post-embed--tax--expert" >Melinda Haring</span>

Resolving the conflict in Ukraine should be a higher priority for the United States and Europe than addressing the civil war in Syria, said Archbishop Zoria Yevstratiy, representative of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church Kyiv Patriarchate, during a visit to Washington, DC. “I’m very sorry about the Syrian people, but Ukraine can’t be compared. Syria never […]

Russia Syria

UkraineAlert

Nov 9, 2016

Nerve-Racking November: Ukraine’s Energy Subsidies Leave Some in the Cold

By <span class="gta-embed--tax--expert gta-post-embed--tax--expert" >Oksana Bedratenko</span>

“The first week of November is so nerve-racking. Until I get the bill, I don’t know if my subsidy has been extended for this heating season and what amount will it cover,” my friend’s mother, a 69-year old pensioner in Kyiv, said when I called to check on her. “With these high utility prices—if the […]

Ukraine

UkraineAlert

Nov 8, 2016

Here’s How to Fix Public Broadcasting in Ukraine

By <span class="gta-embed--tax--expert gta-post-embed--tax--expert" >Roman Shutov</span>

Zurab Alasania’s resignation from the position of director general of the National TV and Radio Broadcasting Company of Ukraine (NTU) has roused concerns about the future of public broadcasting reform in Ukraine. Although some experts believe it is already too late to reverse reforms, the coming months will determine the future of public broadcasting just […]

Ukraine
Load More