UkraineAlert

UkraineAlert is a comprehensive online publication that provides regular news and analysis on developments in Ukraine’s politics, economy, civil society, and culture. UkraineAlert sources analysis and commentary from a wide-array of thought-leaders, politicians, experts, and activists from Ukraine and the global community. UkraineAlert has become a major publication in Ukraine’s news landscape and has established itself not only through its quality of content but also significant partnerships with English, Ukrainian, and Russian-language media through the country.

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

Latest analysis


UkraineAlert

Mar 31, 2026

Zelenskyy’s Gulf region tour was a masterclass in wartime diplomacy

By
Peter Dickinson

As the Iran War focuses global attention on the Middle East, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy traveled to the Gulf region in late March on a whirlwind tour that showcased Ukraine’s growing military strength and geopolitical clout, writes Peter Dickinson.


Conflict


Defense Technologies


UkraineAlert

Mar 31, 2026

Ukraine bombs Russia’s Baltic ports as Zelenskyy targets Putin’s oil exports

By
David Kirichenko

Ukraine's President Zelenskyy says the country’s partners have called on Kyiv to scale down attacks on Russian energy infrastructure after drone strikes reportedly reduced Russia’s oil export capacity by at least 40 percent as global energy prices surge amid the Iran War, writes David Kirichenko.


Conflict


Drones


UkraineAlert

Mar 26, 2026

Only additional pressure can push Putin toward peace

By
Kira Rudik

With the Kremlin ignoring calls for a compromise peace, the only way to advance negotiations is by putting more pressure on Putin. Failure to do so could have disastrous consequences that would be felt far beyond the borders of Ukraine, writes Kira Rudik.


Conflict


Disinformation


UkraineAlert

Mar 26, 2026

Drone superpower Ukraine is an ideal tech partner for the Gulf states

By
Anatoly Motkin

Kyiv's decision to help defend the Gulf states against Iranian drones by deploying teams of Ukrainian specialists is highlighting the scope for broader tech sector cooperation between Ukraine and the region, writes Anatoly Motkin.


Conflict


Defense Technologies


UkraineAlert

Mar 24, 2026

Russia bombs Ukrainian UNESCO site as Putin escalates terror tactics

By
Peter Dickinson

Russia bombed a UNESCO World Heritage site in the historic heart of west Ukrainian city Lviv on March 24 as Kremlin efforts to target Ukraine’s civilian population continue to escalate, writes Peter Dickinson.


Conflict


Drones


UkraineAlert

Mar 24, 2026

US secures new Belarus prisoner release in exchange for sanctions relief

By
Mercedes Sapuppo

Belarus dictator Alyaksandr Lukashenka released 250 political prisoners on March 19 in exchange for US sanctions relief as Washington’s efforts to revive diplomatic ties with Minsk continued, writes Mercedes Sapuppo.


Belarus


Conflict


UkraineAlert

Mar 24, 2026

Could Russia use fake separatists to destabilize Estonia and discredit NATO?

By
James Rice

In recent weeks, references to a pro-Russian separatist movement in neighboring Estonia have begun appearing with increasing frequency on social media. However, not everyone is convinced that the so-called "Narva People's Republic" is worthy of serious attention, writes James Rice.


Conflict


Disinformation


UkraineAlert

Mar 19, 2026

Putin is counting on Western disunity to hand him victory in Ukraine

By
Mykola Bielieskov

Russian President Vladimir Putin has been unable to defeat the Ukrainians on the battlefield but he remains confident that Western disunity will ultimately hand him victory in Ukraine, writes Mykola Bielieskov.


Conflict


European Union


UkraineAlert

Mar 19, 2026

Wartime Ukraine offers global lessons on the future of cyber resilience

By
Oleksandr Bakalynskyi, Maggie McDonough

The twelve years of cyber warfare that have accompanied Russia’s escalating invasion of Ukraine have transformed the country’s digital environment into a proving ground for modern conflict, write Oleksandr Bakalynskyi and Maggie McDonough.


Conflict


Critical Infrastructure Policy


UkraineAlert

Mar 17, 2026

The Iran war is good for the Russian economy but bad for Putin’s prestige

By
Maksym Beznosiuk, Will Dixon

From Armenia and Syria to Venezuela and Iran, Moscow’s inability since 2022 to aid its allies in times of crisis has seriously damaged Russia’s reputation as a global power, write Maksym Beznosiuk and Will Dixon.


Conflict


Geopolitics & Energy Security

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 19, 2016

The West Has a Ukraine Challenge, and It’s Not Going Away

By Ariel Cohen

Since the Middle Ages, Kyivan Rus—the loose network of warring principalities whose borders vaguely coincide with today’s Ukraine—has been exposed to waves of invaders from neighboring states. This list of aggressors includes the Normans, Mongols, Poles, Ottomans, Habsburg Austrians, Germans, and Nazis—and not least, Muscovite Russians, the Romanov Russian Empire, and Bolsheviks. Each invasion destroyed […]

Russia Ukraine

UkraineAlert

Aug 15, 2016

Why Putin Turns the Heat Up on Ukraine Now

By James J. Coyle

Russian President Vladimir Putin may be preparing a new offensive in Ukraine. Russia has prepared an excuse for a military incursion to connect Crimea with rebel-held areas of the Donbas in eastern Ukraine. Fighting along the corridor has already heated up; the Ukrainian military reports that on the night of August 8 more than 200 […]

Russia Ukraine

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