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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

Jun 26, 2024

Ukraine’s innovative drone industry helps counter Putin’s war machine

By
David Kirichenko

Ukraine’s rapidly expanding and highly innovative domestic drone industry is helping the country compensate for Russia’s overwhelming advantages in both manpower and munitions, writes David Kirichenko.

Conflict
Defense Industry


UkraineAlert

Jun 25, 2024

Historic day for Ukraine as EU launches official membership talks

By
Peter Dickinson

Ukraine began official membership talks with the EU on June 25, providing the embattled East European nation with a powerful morale boost as it continues to fight for survival against Russia’s ongoing invasion, writes Peter Dickinson.

Conflict
Democratic Transitions


UkraineAlert

Jun 24, 2024

Kyiv Pride event highlights changing attitudes in wartime Ukraine

By
Aleksander Cwalina

Ukraine’s LGBTQI+ community is playing an important role in Ukraine’s ongoing European integration and defense against the Kremlin’s anti-Western crusade, writes Aleksander Cwalina.

Civil Society
Conflict


UkraineAlert

Jun 21, 2024

Russia’s flagship international forum showcases Putin’s pariah status

By
Edward Verona

The lack of international attendees at Russia’s flagship economic forum in June highlighted Vladimir Putin’s pariah status on the world stage, writes Edward Verona.

Conflict
Economy & Business


UkraineAlert

Jun 20, 2024

Putin just reminded the world why Russia must lose

By
Peter Dickinson

Vladimir Putin’s bogus recent peace proposal was in reality a call for Ukraine’s surrender that underlines his continued commitment to the destruction of the Ukrainian state, writes Peter Dickinson.

Conflict
Defense Policy


UkraineAlert

Jun 20, 2024

FPV drones in Ukraine are changing modern warfare

By
Tomas Milasauskas, Liudvikas Jaškūnas

First Person View (FPV) attack drones are shaping the battlefield in Ukraine and transforming our understanding of modern warfare, write Tomas Milasauskas and Liudvikas Jaškūnas.

Conflict
Defense Industry


UkraineAlert

Jun 18, 2024

Ukraine’s peace summit offers solidarity but no breakthroughs

By
Mercedes Sapuppo

Ukraine’s hotly anticipated peace summit in Switzerland produced plenty of solidarity but did not result in any major diplomatic breakthroughs, writes Mercedes Sapuppo.

Conflict
Freedom and Prosperity


UkraineAlert

Jun 18, 2024

Holding Putin’s propagandists accountable for crimes in Ukraine

By
Kristina Hook, Anna Vyshniakova

Calls are mounting to hold Putin’s propagandists accountable for their role in inciting Russian atrocities committed during the ongoing invasion of Ukraine, write Kristina Hook and Anna Vyshniakova.

Conflict
Disinformation


UkraineAlert

Jun 18, 2024

Ukraine’s recovery cannot begin without enhanced air defenses

By
Edward Verona

The recent Ukraine Recovery Conference in Berlin underlined the importance of additional air defenses before the country can begin to rebuild, writes Edward Verona.

Conflict
Economy & Business


UkraineAlert

Jun 15, 2024

The view from Kyiv: Why Ukrainian NATO membership is in US interests

By
Alyona Getmanchuk

US President Joe Biden recently voiced his skepticism over Ukrainian NATO membership, but enabling Ukraine to join the alliance would be in American interests, writes Alyona Getmanchuk.

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

Aug 15, 2016

Why Peace Is Impossible with Putin

By Alexander J. Motyl

Peace in Europe is impossible as long as Vladimir Putin remains Russia’s leader. As both the biggest obstacle to peace and the key source of potential war, Putin has become the main threat to Russia’s neighbors and the West. But what, exactly, motivates him? Analysts are divided over the reasons for Putin’s foreign policy moves. […]

Russia Ukraine

UkraineAlert

Aug 13, 2016

How Russian Propaganda Portrays European Leaders

By František Vrabel, Jakub Janda, and Veronika Víchová

Russia’s efforts to spread disinformation in other countries as part of a hybrid war against the West sometimes make us forget that the media networks inside Russia also greatly matter. Even though Russia’s domestic media targets the Russian-speaking population, its narratives and portrayals of the international scene can tell us a lot about Russia’s foreign […]

Russia Ukraine

UkraineAlert

Aug 10, 2016

Is Putin Preparing a New Attack on Ukraine?

By Anders Åslund

Observers have greatly feared that Russia’s President Vladimir Putin would start a small regional war this August. Russia has moved up its State Duma elections to September 18. Although only Putin’s parties are allowed to win, he has a predilection for “small and victorious wars” to mobilize his people. In 1999, the second war in […]

Russia Ukraine

UkraineAlert

Aug 10, 2016

Kramatorsk, Two Years On

By Hannah Thoburn

Kramatorsk is one of the most American cities that I have encountered in Ukraine. It is not laid out in the walkable format that most Ukrainian towns and villages have. Rather, it has a wide, broad layout, with extensive blocks. It is a city in which a car is almost a necessity. And that is […]

Ukraine

UkraineAlert

Aug 10, 2016

What Business in Ukraine is Really Like

By Thomas Theiner

A Response to James Brooke James Brooke truly believes that investors should sink their money into Ukraine. He couldn’t be more wrong. Every roulette table in Las Vegas is more promising than Ukraine. I know from personal experience; I lived in Kyiv for five years and knew a few dozen foreigners who invested in Ukraine. […]

Ukraine

UkraineAlert

Aug 9, 2016

Memo to Ukrainian Government: Privatization Can Succeed if You Get Out of the Way

By Basil Kalymon

On July 18, Ukraine’s most recent attempt at privatization came to a disappointing conclusion. Odesa’s petrochemical plant, OPZ, was placed up for auction, but after the government set a minimum price of $520 million, no qualified bidders came forward. As a consequence, the state still owns the enterprise, which continues to impose losses on the […]

Ukraine

UkraineAlert

Aug 9, 2016

In Ukraine, Two Steps Forward and One Step Back: Procurement Reform Advances, Slowly

By Josh Cohen

Many changes have occurred in Ukraine since the Euromaidan, but the country still struggles mightily with corruption. Those efforts are symbolized in the ongoing fight to reform Ukraine’s corrupt procurement practices. For years, links between government officials and Ukraine’s “pharma mafia” resulted in the theft of approximately $100 million of the Ministry of Health’s $250 […]

Ukraine

UkraineAlert

Aug 3, 2016

Saakashvili in Odesa: When Making Waves is Not Enough

By Kateryna Smagliy

A year after my Atlantic Council blog post on Mikheil Saakashvili’s first fifty days as Odesa oblast governor, it’s time to reexamine his record. The results are mixed: his brisk and spectacular first wins soon hit the skids. The Presidential Administration’s promised support evaporated in late 2015 and Saakashvili’s many initiatives were skillfully torpedoed at […]

The Caucasus Ukraine

UkraineAlert

Aug 3, 2016

Trump’s Dangerous Bromance with Putin Is a National Security Threat

By Stephen Blank

Russia’s recent hacking attacks on the Clinton campaign, the Democratic National Committee, and the party’s fundraising committee for candidates for the US House of Representatives reflect Moscow’s view that it is in a state of political war with the United States, if not the West. Efforts to take down Western political institutions are hardly a […]

Russia Ukraine

UkraineAlert

Aug 3, 2016

How the International Media Enables Russian Aggression in Ukraine

By Peter Dickinson

If anyone had attempted to report on “German-backed forces” in Nazi-occupied France or “pro-Soviet forces” during the Prague Spring, they would have been dismissed as either hopelessly misinformed or deeply disingenuous. While local collaborators and convenient euphemisms were plentiful in both instances, there was never any doubt as to who was really in control. This […]

Russia Ukraine