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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

Mar 31, 2020

Zelenskyy resurrects his reformist credentials as coronavirus crisis looms

By
Anders Åslund

March 30 was a big day for Ukraine with major changes in parliament that reversed the anti-reform backlash underway in the country since March 4 and provided President Zelenskyy with fresh political momentum as the coronavirus crisis escalates.


Coronavirus


Democratic Transitions


UkraineAlert

Mar 31, 2020

Q&A: Where is President Zelenskyy leading Ukraine?

By
Adair Appleton and Adrian Hoefer

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's surprise decision to dismiss his reformist government in early March raised fundamental questions over the future direction of the country. Atlantic Council experts explore what it could mean for Ukraine.


Democratic Transitions


Ukraine


UkraineAlert

Mar 30, 2020

Two historic votes for Ukraine

By
Iuliia Mendel

In an emergency session as the country grapples with the coronavirus crisis, Ukraine's parliament has voted for two bills that will open the way to new financing from the IMF and other international partners.


Democratic Transitions


International Financial Institutions


UkraineAlert

Mar 30, 2020

Coronavirus must not distract the world from Russia’s war in Ukraine

By
Ivanna Klympush-Tsintsadze

The coronavirus crisis is creating unprecedented challenges for the international community, but existing security threats like the Russian attack on Ukraine must not disappear from the diplomatic agenda, argues Ivanna Klympush-Tsintsadze.


Conflict


Coronavirus


UkraineAlert

Mar 28, 2020

Time for Ukraine to exit Russia’s energy empire

By
Bohdan Klid

Energy supplies have helped Russia exert political influence over Ukraine. With Russia's energy sector hit by short-term coronavirus woes and facing long-term decline, now is a good time for Ukraine to reduce dependency.


Geopolitics & Energy Security


Russia


UkraineAlert

Mar 26, 2020

Russo-Ukrainian War: Putin must be held accountable

By
Olena Zerkal

Russia is seeking to legitimize the Kremlin-created separatist republics in eastern Ukraine as a way of distancing itself from the ongoing conflict, but if Putin is not held accountable, other countries may share Ukraine's fate.


Conflict


Russia


UkraineAlert

Mar 25, 2020

After coronavirus: how to get Ukraine working again

By
Ilya Timtchenko

Ukraine is bracing for a major coronavirus economic downturn, but the country must also look to the post-pandemic future. Ilya Timtchenko offers some tips on how to get the Ukrainian economy working once again.


Coronavirus


Economy & Business


UkraineAlert

Mar 24, 2020

Could coronavirus become Putin’s Chernobyl?

By
Peter Dickinson

Official Russian coronavirus infection rates far lower than elsewhere in Europe, sparking accusations of a Kremlin cover-up. Could the pandemic become a new Chernobyl for Vladimir Putin?


Coronavirus


Russia


UkraineAlert

Mar 23, 2020

Why Ukraine cannot risk recognizing Putin’s proxies

By
Lisa Yasko

Many Ukrainians are alarmed by plans to create an Advisory Council together with representatives from Russian-occupied eastern Ukraine. Critics say the move will allow Russia to distance itself from the war.


Conflict


Peacekeeping and Peacebuilding


UkraineAlert

Mar 23, 2020

Mr. and Mrs. Zelenskyy trip up on gender roles again

By
Melinda Haring

Why does everything in the private sphere depend on Ukraine’s amazing women yet again?


Democratic Transitions


Ukraine

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

Sep 1, 2016

Paul Manafort’s Ukrainian Legacy

By Sergii Leshchenko

I have seen Paul Manafort twice in my life. The first time was in 2007 during a Ukrainian lunch at Morosani Hotel in Davos, Switzerland, where Viktor Yanukovych came to speak. The second time was at a solemn reception in honor of Yanukovych’s 2010 inauguration at the Ukrainian House in Kyiv; Manfort arrived with oligarch […]

Ukraine

UkraineAlert

Aug 31, 2016

Anti-Corruption Cases Are Finally Moving Forward in Ukraine

By Adrian Karatnycky

Something is stirring in Ukraine’s war on corruption. Since the Maidan protests of 2013-14 toppled the regime of former President Viktor Yanukovych and revealed the details of the criminality and venality of his inner circle, attacking corruption has been a focal point of public expectations. Important progress has been made on key reforms. Under the […]

Ukraine

UkraineAlert

Aug 31, 2016

Russia and Turkey: Rapprochement and Its Implications

By John E. Herbst

The rapprochement between Russia and Turkey is a significant geopolitical development that increases the leverage of each nation. Where the interests of Moscow and Ankara do not conflict, their new relationship will be useful to both. Yet their different interests limit the significance of the new amity.

Russia Turkey

UkraineAlert

Aug 29, 2016

Have Ukraine’s Reforms Stalled?

By Anders Åslund

Few Ukrainians realize how impressive their economic reforms were in 2015. The question today is whether that reform wave will continue, or has come to a halt. The slashing of energy subsidies by 10 percent of GDP by unifying energy prices from 2014 to 2016 was most important. As a consequence, Ukraine’s public expenditures fell […]

Ukraine

UkraineAlert

Aug 29, 2016

E-Declaration—and Ukraine’s Anti-Corruption Strategy—in Jeopardy

By Josh Cohen

A key element of Ukraine’s anti-corruption agenda is at a crossroads—and whether it is implemented on August 31 will indicate Kyiv’s commitment to reform. In October 2014, a new law requiring Ukrainian public officials to file an electronic declaration disclosing all of their financial assets was passed by parliament. This e-declaration law mandates that officials […]

Ukraine

UkraineAlert

Aug 29, 2016

Three Mythologies of European Security

By Stephen Blank

Samuel Johnson famously told his biographer James Boswell, “Clear your mind of cant.” In thinking about European security, we should do so, too.

Russia Ukraine

UkraineAlert

Aug 26, 2016

How One University Defied Putin and His Armed Mob

By Melinda Haring

On July 7, 2014, Russian-backed separatists entered Donetsk and occupied four dormitories at Donetsk National University; armed gunmen expelled students from their rooms in the middle of the night. Nine days later, the separatists seized the entire university. During that summer, separatists stole at least seventeen university vehicles and converted student dorms into barracks for […]

Russia Ukraine

UkraineAlert

Aug 25, 2016

Ukraine: Forwards or Backwards? A Response to Thomas Theiner and James Brooke

By Martin Nunn

When driving a car, it is essential to look forward to assess changing road conditions, new obstacles, and new opportunities. Prudent drivers—and investors—regularly check the rear view mirrors, but their main focus is on the future.

Russia Ukraine

UkraineAlert

Aug 25, 2016

Does Ukraine Need an Anti-Corruption Court?

By Thomas Firestone

The recent scandal surrounding alleged payments made to Paul Manafort by the former Ukrainian government has again cast a spotlight on corruption in Ukraine. Whatever one thinks of the Manafort story, no one can dispute that Ukrainians are entitled to an honest government that does not steal from them. But how can Ukraine achieve this […]

Russia Ukraine

UkraineAlert

Aug 23, 2016

Russia is Surrounding Ukraine, but Where’s the West?

By Aaron Korewa

In recent weeks, Russian President Vladimir Putin has been doing what he is best at: war mongering. It began with the Kremlin’s accusation that Ukrainian leaders had “chosen terror over peace,” despite the fact Russia has not been able to produce any credible evidence of the alleged “sabotage plot” in Crimea. Additionally, neither the OSCE’s […]

Russia Ukraine