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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

Jul 23, 2019

A unique chance for change 

By
Anders Åslund

Ukraine finally has a parliament no longer dominated by businessmen. This offers a unique chance to establish rule of law and break up the oligarchic system.


Fiscal and Structural Reform


Political Reform


UkraineAlert

Jul 22, 2019

Q&A: Comedian’s party wins big again in Ukraine. Why and what’s next?

By
Melinda Haring

Atlantic Council experts and UkraineAlert contributors react to the Ukrainian presidential election.


Elections


Political Reform


UkraineAlert

Jul 18, 2019

So you got elected president of Ukraine. Now comes the hard part.

By
Adrian Karatnycky

If Zelenskyy musters a non-political government of experts in domestic policy and national security, they will significantly increase the chances that his term will have real impact on the living standards and security of the Ukrainian people.


Democratic Transitions


Political Reform


UkraineAlert

Jul 17, 2019

If Zelenskyy’s serious about reform, he’ll ditch the cronies

By
Diane Francis

Leaders are judged by those closest to them, and Zelenskyy’s mishandling of this matter is destroying his “brand” and will impede his reform agenda.


Elections


Fiscal and Structural Reform


UkraineAlert

Jul 16, 2019

Rise of the Zelennials: Ukraine’s parliamentary elections signal generational shift

By
Peter Dickinson

The message is unmistakable: after almost three decades of chronic corruption and repeated false starts, voters want fundamental change and are willing to gamble with the country’s future in order to get it.


Elections


Political Reform


UkraineAlert

Jul 16, 2019

Ukraine’s most important election is Sunday. Here’s what to expect

By
Brian Mefford

As Ukraine enters a new political epoch that features comedians, singers, former presidents, and controversial pro-Russian politicians, the second longest serving prime minister in Ukraine’s history may find a niche with the electorate.


Elections


Ukraine


UkraineAlert

Jul 16, 2019

The politics of revenge

By
Bohdan Nahaylo

This preoccupation with settling scores and seeking to influence the pace and direction of change is an inevitable feature of the major reconfiguration of political forces underway.


Democratic Transitions


Political Reform


UkraineAlert

Jul 16, 2019

Ukraine House Toronto highlights Ukraine’s renaissance

By
Alexa Chopivsky and Paul Grod

“Ukraine is having this renaissance, a boom; the closest thing I can compare it to is Berlin seventeen years ago, where the kids are just taking over," said Darko Skulsky, co-producer of HBO hit series Chernobyl.


Civil Society


Ukraine


UkraineAlert

Jul 11, 2019

How the US can fight Russian disinformation for real

By
Nina Jankowicz

For the past three years, I have been on the front lines of the information war, most recently in Ukraine, Lithuania, and Georgia. I have worked alongside, interviewed and briefed policymakers throughout the region, and these experiences have presented a grim picture: the United States is abdicating its leadership in countering Russian disinformation. Where we […]


Cybersecurity


Disinformation


UkraineAlert

Jul 10, 2019

Who will be Ukraine’s next prime minister?

By
Melinda Haring

Choosing a political government sends exactly the wrong message, and one should expect a serious case of Ukraine fatigue to quickly reemerge among donors.


Elections


Political Reform

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.

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Content

UkraineAlert

Apr 10, 2017

From Trench Coats to Tuxedos: How the Kremlin Deploys its Dirty Tricks Today

By Diane Francis

The same dirty tricks deployed by the KGB for decades are used in today’s Cold War 2.0, and have permeated geopolitics from Syria to Ukraine and the world’s capitals. But spies in trench coats been supplanted by Russians in tuxedos with huge bank accounts who use financial, social, and political weaponry to build tentacles that […]

Russia Ukraine

UkraineAlert

Apr 5, 2017

The Coming Crackdown on Ukraine’s Anticorruption Crusaders

By Daria Kaleniuk

President Petro Poroshenko’s new restrictions on anticorruption groups are appalling and threaten to reverse much of the progress Ukraine has made since the Euromaidan. Some analysts who defend the new law have got the details all wrong. Others have sounded the alarm, but the fine points of the regulations remain murky. On March 27, Poroshenko […]

Ukraine

UkraineAlert

Apr 3, 2017

Three Ways the West Can Get Tougher on Russia for Crimea Land Grab

By Taras Kuzio

Russia’s occupation of Crimea has reached its third anniversary, and there is no evidence in sight that President Vladimir Putin will withdraw his occupation forces. Both the United States and Canada have reiterated their support for continued sanctions against Russia as long as Crimea continues to be occupied. Still, ending Russia’s illegal occupation could take […]

Russia Ukraine

UkraineAlert

Mar 31, 2017

Is Russia Getting Ready to Invade Ukraine Again?

By Stephen Blank

Recent Russian actions suggest a new stage of the Russian threat to Ukraine—and potentially to the Caucasus, Belarus, or the Baltic States as well—that could presage a new large-scale military operation. First, in 2016, Russia created twenty-five division formations and fifteen brigades, while raising manpower by only 10,000 men. This suggests the possibility that Russia […]

Russia Ukraine

UkraineAlert

Mar 30, 2017

Why Putin’s Flirtation with the French Far Right May Backfire

By Péter Krekó and Alina Polyakova

On March 24, Marine Le Pen, the leader of France’s National Front (FN) party and a contender for the French presidency, flew to Moscow for a surprise visit with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Le Pen’s photo op of a one-on-one meeting with Russia’s president certainly made her look presidential, but it’s an image that may […]

Russia

UkraineAlert

Mar 30, 2017

One Small Step for Georgia, One Giant Leap for the EU

By Alexandra Hall Hall

At a time when doors across the West are closing to migrants, one small country has managed to buck the trend: the ex-Soviet republic of Georgia. On March 28, the country secured visa-free travel to the Schengen area of the EU, which includes all member states except Ireland, the United Kingdom, Croatia, Cyprus, Romania, and […]

European Union International Organizations

UkraineAlert

Mar 29, 2017

Ukraine Is in the Middle of a Counterrevolution Again. Is Anyone Paying Attention?

By Maxim Eristavi

While the world is distracted by multiple crises, Ukraine’s ruling elites are trying to undo the modest progress the country has achieved since the Maidan Revolution. Despite the mainstream narrative, when it comes to reforms in post-revolutionary Ukraine, the record has been anything but black and white. But if you need a consensus on the […]

Ukraine

UkraineAlert

Mar 29, 2017

Watching the Watchdogs: Why Ukraine’s NGOs Should Disclose Assets, Too

By Adrian Karatnycky

A huge kerfuffle has erupted in Ukraine over amendments to a law on income and asset transparency that will require employees of some nongovernmental organizations and investigative journalists who focus on corruption to post detailed income declarations publicly in electronic form. A strong majority in Ukraine’s parliament (266 of 423 legislators) passed the controversial legislation […]

Ukraine

UkraineAlert

Mar 28, 2017

Putin Is a Prisoner of His Own Hybrid War

By Peter Dickinson

April will mark the third anniversary of Russia’s hybrid war in eastern Ukraine, with no end in sight to a tragedy that has already claimed over 10,000 Ukrainian lives. The conflict has devastated and transformed Ukraine in ways that will not be fully apparent for decades. Crucially, it has also brought little of value to […]

Russia Ukraine

UkraineAlert

Mar 28, 2017

Why Sunday’s Massive Protests Will Change Russia

By Natalia Arno

The poem and song, “The Revolution Will Not Be Televised,” became a rallying cry for social injustice in America in the 1970s. It weaved its way through many cultural eras around the world and found its way to the streets of Russia on Sunday, March 26. Nearly 100,000 people went to the streets in more […]

Russia Ukraine