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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 20, 2026

Russia threatens Europe as Ukraine escalates strikes on Putin’s oil industry

By
Giorgi Revishvili

The Kremlin issued a thinly veiled threat to European leaders last week over their support for Ukraine's drone program as escalating Ukrainian strikes on Russia's energy infrastructure cause unprecedented damage, writes Giorgi Revishvili.


Conflict


Defense Technologies


UkraineAlert

Apr 18, 2026

Russia invaded Ukraine in 2014 long before the full-scale war of 2022

By
Paul Niland

International efforts to end Russia's invasion of Ukraine must reflect the fact that the Kremlin's attack on Ukraine began in 2014 and not with the full-scale war of 2022, writes Paul Niland.


Conflict


Disinformation


UkraineAlert

Apr 16, 2026

Drone diplomacy: Ukraine strengthens security role in Europe and the Gulf

By
Maksym Beznosiuk, William Dixon

Ukraine has emerged since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022 as a world leader in drone warfare. Kyiv is now using drone diplomacy to build security partnerships throughout Europe and the Middle East, write Maksym Beznosiuk and William Dixon.


Conflict


Defense Technologies


UkraineAlert

Apr 16, 2026

Could Bulgaria replace Hungary as Putin’s proxy inside the EU?

By
Jan Surotchak

Hungarian PM Viktor Orbán's recent election defeat was widely seen as a major setback for Russia, but victory for the pro-Kremlin candidate in this week's Bulgarian parliamentary elections could provide Putin with a new proxy inside the EU, writes Jan Surotchak.


Conflict


Defense Policy


UkraineAlert

Apr 13, 2026

Orbán’s Hungarian election defeat: Good for Ukraine, bad for Russia

By
Peter Dickinson

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán's historic election defeat has removed a major obstacle to Ukraine's EU integration while robbing Putin of his most important European ally, writes Peter Dickinson.


Conflict


Elections


UkraineAlert

Apr 13, 2026

Brussels and Kyiv should have realistic expectations about Magyar’s Hungary

By
James Batchik, Eva Mulholland

While Péter Magyar’s election victory provides ample reason for optimism, there is also good cause to temper any expectations of Hungary now playing a leading European role in support of Ukraine, write James Batchik and Eva Mulholland.


Conflict


Elections


UkraineAlert

Apr 9, 2026

Ukraine is winning the drone war with strike campaign behind Russian lines

By
Mykola Bielieskov

Ukraine has regained the initiative from Russia in the world's first full-scale drone war by launching a campaign of mid-range drone strikes aimed at undermining the logistics supporting Putin's invasion, writes Mykola Bielieskov.


Conflict


Defense Industry


UkraineAlert

Apr 9, 2026

Recognizing the role of propaganda in Russia’s infrastructure of aggression

By
Anna Vyshniakova, Jais Adam-Troian, Kristina Hook 

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine demonstrates that propaganda plays a more important part than ever in modern war. Recognizing propaganda as part of Russia’s infrastructure of military aggression is an essential step toward countering it effectively, write Anna Vyshniakova, Jais Adam-Troian, and Kristina Hook. 


Conflict


Defense Policy


UkraineAlert

Apr 9, 2026

Ukraine continues remarkable rise from aid recipient to security provider

By
Peter Dickinson

President Zelenskyy has recently signed a series of landmark security partnerships with countries across the Middle East, underlining wartime Ukraine's remarkable rise from aid recipient to international security provider, writes Peter Dickinson.


Conflict


Defense Industry


UkraineAlert

Apr 7, 2026

Hungarian election could have implications for EU, US, Russia, and Ukraine

By
Marc Goedemans

The Hungarian parliamentary elections on April 12 are being billed as the most important in the country’s modern history. With Hungary a key focus in the escalating confrontation between Russia and the West, this weekend’s vote could also have geopolitical implications that will be felt in Kyiv, Moscow, Brussels, and Washington. Current Hungarian Prime Minister […]


Civil Society


Conflict

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

Nov 22, 2016

Will Trump’s Foreign Policy Make Any Sense?

By Diane Francis

The election of Donald Trump marks a turning point in the world of international relations. Speculation abounds as to what he’s going to do, but his policies remain unknown, possibly unformed. Still, this doesn’t discourage us from speculating as well as poring over the resumes of his appointments to date. But the only certainty is […]

Mexico Russia

UkraineAlert

Nov 22, 2016

Eastern Europe Must Prepare for the Worst about Trump

By Alexander J. Motyl

President Barack Obama’s advice to the world that it shouldn’t “assume the worst” about Donald Trump may apply to countries whose existential interests cannot be threatened by the president-elect’s policies, but those that face a possible Russian invasion must assume and prepare for the worst. They cannot, as Obama recommended, “wait until the administration is […]

Belarus Northern Europe

UkraineAlert

Nov 22, 2016

In Time of Trump, Advice to Friends of Ukraine (And Democracy)

By Jeffrey Gedmin

Friends of Ukraine, brace yourself. There’s no way to sugar-coat this for the democracy crowd either. Donald Trump has suggested that Ukraine is not our business (it “affects Europe a lot more than it affects us”). Our president-elect admires Russia’s authoritarian leader (he’s “brilliant,” a “strong leader”), and wants Vladimir Putin as an ally (“Russia […]

Russia Ukraine

UkraineAlert

Nov 21, 2016

Holodomor Remembrance Day: Why the Past Matters for the Future

By Victor Rud

As Americans sit down to their Thanksgiving meals on the last Thursday in November, Ukrainians will be commemorating the memory of millions who were murdered in 1932-33. The last Saturday in November is Holodomor Remembrance Day in Ukraine, a time to mark the anniversary of Joseph Stalin’s engineered starvation of the nation. In the West, […]

Ukraine

UkraineAlert

Nov 21, 2016

How Ukraine Can Use E-Declarations to Target the Most Corrupt

By Basil A. Kalymon and Oleh Havrylyshyn

This year, thousands of Ukrainian members of parliament, government officials, and civil servants were required by law to declare their incomes and assets in a publicly available database by October 30. Although the introduction of the e-declaration system was initially blocked numerous times, today the public can view the vast amount of wealth owned by […]

Ukraine

UkraineAlert

Nov 21, 2016

Kremlin Power Struggle Intensified: Liberals Under Attack

By Anders Åslund

The Kremlin power struggle intensifies. On November 15, Russia’s Investigative Committee arrested Minister of Economic Development Alexey Ulyukaev, the first time since 1991 that a sitting minister has been arrested. Ulyukaev is accused of corruption, but nothing seems to be as originally stated. Rather, this is a high-level political struggle between President Vladimir Putin’s confidant, […]

Russia

UkraineAlert

Nov 21, 2016

The Dissolution of the Soviet Union: Then and Now

By Amanda Abrams

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 Alina Polyakova

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 Andreas Umland

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 Yuliia Horovetska

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