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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

Mother of Hunger-Striking Pilot Calls for Justice

UkraineAlert
Jan 20, 2026

Ukraine’s best security guarantee is the ability to strike back inside Russia

By
Serhii Kuzan

With Kyiv’s Western allies unlikely to risk war with Russia, Ukraine’s most realistic security guarantee remains a strong military coupled with the ability to strike targets deep inside Russia, writes Serhii Kuzan.

Conflict
Defense Policy

Mother of Hunger-Striking Pilot Calls for Justice

UkraineAlert
Jan 15, 2026

Veterans can shape the future of Ukrainian democracy

By
Vasyl Sehin

The participation of military veterans in Ukraine’s political life has the potential to dramatically strengthen Ukrainian democracy and safeguard the country’s historic transition from centuries of Russian autocracy, writes Vasyl Sehin.

Conflict
Democratic Transitions

Mother of Hunger-Striking Pilot Calls for Justice

UkraineAlert
Jan 8, 2026

Ukraine’s robot army will be crucial in 2026 but drones can’t replace infantry

By
David Kirichenko

Ukraine’s growing robot army of land drones will play a vital role in the country’s defense during 2026, but they are not wonder weapons and cannot serve as a miracle cure for Kyiv’s manpower shortages, writes David Kirichenko.

Artificial Intelligence
Conflict

Latest analysis

UkraineAlert

Aug 1, 2024

Ukraine’s new F-16 jets won’t defeat Russia but will enhance air defenses

By
<span class="gta-embed–tax–expert gta-post-embed–tax–expert" >Mykola Bielieskov</span>

Ukraine's fledgling fleet of F-16 jets will not win the war but should strengthen the country's air defenses and help protect the civilian population from Russian bombardment, writes Mykola Bielieskov.


Conflict

Defense Technologies


UkraineAlert

Jul 30, 2024

Paris Olympics: Ukrainian dedicates medal to athletes killed by Russia

By
<span class="gta-embed–tax–expert gta-post-embed–tax–expert">Mark Temnycky</span>

Ukrainian fencing star Olga Kharlan has won the country’s first medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics and dedicated her medal to the Ukrainian athletes "who couldn't be here because they were killed by Russia," writes Mark Temnycky .


Conflict

France


UkraineAlert

Jul 25, 2024

The West should articulate the possibility of a European future for Belarus now

By
<span class="gta-embed–tax–expert gta-post-embed–tax–expert" >Richard Cashman</span>

Failure to articulate the possibility of a European future for Belarus leaves the Euro-Atlantic community at risk of being caught off guard without a plan when Belarus reaches its fork in the road, writes Richard Cashman.


Belarus

Conflict


UkraineAlert

Jul 25, 2024

Putin is convinced he can outlast the West and win in Ukraine

By
<span class="gta-embed–tax–expert gta-post-embed–tax–expert" >Mykola Bielieskov</span>

The West's collective fear of escalation and reluctance to commit to Ukrainian victory have convinced Putin that he can outlast his opponents and achieve an historic triumph in Ukraine, writes Mykola Bielieskov.


Conflict

Defense Industry


UkraineAlert

Jul 23, 2024

Putin accused of jailing US journalists as ‘bargaining chips’ for prisoner swap

By
<span class="gta-embed–tax–expert gta-post-embed–tax–expert">Mercedes Sapuppo</span>

Russian dictator Vladimir Putin has been accused of using American journalists as bargaining chips after jailing US reporters Evan Gershkovich and Alsu Kurmasheva on dubious charges ahead of a possible prisoner swap, writes Mercedes Sapuppo.


Conflict

Freedom and Prosperity


UkraineAlert

Jul 22, 2024

Andriy Yermak: Ukraine and NATO are restoring Europe’s security architecture

By
<span class="gta-embed–tax–expert gta-post-embed–tax–expert" >Andriy Yermak</span>

Together with the country's allies, Ukraine has set out on the path to restore the European security architecture, writes the head of Ukraine’s Office of the President Andriy Yermak.


Conflict

Defense Industry


UkraineAlert

Jul 18, 2024

Hungarian PM Orban poses as unlikely peacemaker for Russia’s Ukraine war

By
<span class="gta-embed–tax–expert gta-post-embed–tax–expert" >Dmytro Tuzhanskyi</span>

Hungarian PM Viktor Orban recently embarked on a global "peace mission" to end the war in Ukraine but he may actually be more interested in strengthening his own position, writes Dmytro Tuzhanskyi.


China

Conflict


UkraineAlert

Jul 18, 2024

Ukraine’s drone success offers a blueprint for cybersecurity strategy

By
<span class="gta-embed–tax–expert gta-post-embed–tax–expert" >Anatoly Motkin </span>

Ukraine's rapidly expanding domestic drone industry offers a potentially appealing blueprint for the development of the country's cybersecurity capabilities, writes Anatoly Motkin.


Conflict

Cybersecurity


UkraineAlert

Jul 16, 2024

Russia’s retreat from Crimea makes a mockery of the West’s escalation fears

By
<span class="gta-embed–tax–expert gta-post-embed–tax–expert">Peter Dickinson</span>

The Russian Navy's quiet retreat from Crimea highlights the emptiness of Putin's red lines and the self-defeating folly of Western escalation management, writes Peter Dickinson.


Conflict

Defense Policy


UkraineAlert

Jul 16, 2024

I was sentenced to ten years in absentia for highlighting Belarus’s descent into dictatorship

By
<span class="gta-embed–tax–expert gta-post-embed–tax–expert" >Alesia Rudnik</span>

My recent ten-year sentence in absentia is a sure sign that Belarusian dictator Alyaksandr Lukashenka is increasingly insecure and dependent on the Kremlin, writes Alesia Rudnik.


Belarus

Civil Society

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spotlight

Resilience in the face of adversity

Ukraine’s transformation

Ukraine has moved tentatively toward an open society and market economy since independence. The country has held several democratic elections and made halting progress in addressing corruption and state control in its economy. Since the 2014 Maidan Revolution, Ukraine has undertaken significant governance and economic reform and moved decisively toward a Europe-Atlantic foreign policy. Since 2022, Ukraine has resiliently continued to advance some reforms despite fighting for its very existence against the full-scale Russian invasion.

Learn more about Ukraine

Mother of Hunger-Striking Pilot Calls for Justice

UkraineAlert
Dec 5, 2024

Ukraine’s entrepreneurial class can drive the country’s economic recovery

The Ukrainian SME sector has demonstrated remarkable wartime resilience and is poised to be at the forefront of efforts to create a modern, innovative, postwar economy, writes Anton Waschuk.

Read More

Mother of Hunger-Striking Pilot Calls for Justice

UkraineAlert
Oct 1, 2024

Ukraine needs international investors to maintain defense tech momentum

By
Mykhailo Fedorov

Ukraine’s rapidly expanding defense tech sector can play a game-changing role in the war against Russia but Ukrainian companies need international investment, writes Ukraine’s Minister for Digital Transformation Mykhailo Fedorov.

Artificial Intelligence
Conflict

Mother of Hunger-Striking Pilot Calls for Justice

UkraineAlert
Jun 13, 2024

Ukraine officially embraces English as historic westward pivot continues

By
Oleksiy Goncharenko

By officially embracing English, Ukrainians aim to support their country’s historic pivot away from Moscow and return to the European community of nations, writes Oleksiy Goncharenko.

Civil Society
Conflict

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

Mar 7, 2016

Mother of Hunger-Striking Pilot Calls for Justice

By <span class="gta-embed--tax--expert gta-post-embed--tax--expert" >Melinda Haring</span>

Editor’s Note: Ukrainian fighter pilot Nadiya Savchenko started a “dry” hunger strike on March 3 after Russian prosecutors requested a 23-year sentence for Savchenko. In 2014, Savchenko was captured by the pro-Russian separatists in the Donbas, transferred to Russia, where she was accused of involvement in the death of two Russian journalists. Savchenko’s mother Mariya […]

Ukraine

UkraineAlert

Mar 4, 2016

“You Have Not Defeated Me and You Never Will!” Ukrainian Fighter Pilot Nadiya Savchenko Tells Russian Court

By <span class="gta-embed--tax--expert gta-post-embed--tax--expert" >Alexei Sobchenko</span>

Even for Russia, where everyday life can best be described as Kafkaesque, the case of Nadiya Savchenko is outrageous. In 2014, during the war in Ukraine’s Donbas, Savchenko, a Ukrainian military officer captured by the pro-Russian separatists in combat, was transferred to Russia, where she was accused of involvement in the death of two Russian […]

Russia Ukraine

UkraineAlert

Mar 2, 2016

Early Elections in Ukraine Are Scarier Than You Think

By <span class="gta-embed--tax--expert gta-post-embed--tax--expert" >Adrian Karatnycky</span>

Should Ukraine hold new elections? Despite the failure of Ukraine’s parliament to remove the government of Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk from office on February 16, the defection of two parties from the governing coalition gives President Petro Poroshenko the ability to declare the absence of a majority coalition and force new elections. Western donors, including […]

European Union International Organizations

UkraineAlert

Mar 2, 2016

Two Cheers for Cold War!

By <span class="gta-embed--tax--expert gta-post-embed--tax--expert" >Alexander J. Motyl</span>

Russian Prime Minister Dmitri Medvedev’s recent suggestion that Russia and the West are embroiled in cold war provoked hasty denials by Western policymakers and commentators. In fact, Medvedev was right: cold war between Russia and the West does exist. But the West’s denials were unnecessary, because cold war is the best possible option for its […]

Ukraine

UkraineAlert

Mar 2, 2016

Women of the Euromaidan: Where Were They Then and Where Are They Now

By <span class="gta-embed--tax--expert gta-post-embed--tax--expert" >Josh Cohen</span>

As Kateryna Kruk walked among her fellow protesters in Kyiv’s central square while checking her phone during the early days of the Euromaidan in December 2013, she noticed an opportunity: Ukrainians shared news of the revolution almost entirely in Ukrainian or Russian. Inspired by the use of social media during the Arab Spring, Kruk started […]

Ukraine

UkraineAlert

Feb 29, 2016

The Real Fight for Ukraine’s Future

By <span class="gta-embed--tax--expert gta-post-embed--tax--expert" >Emmet Tuohy</span>

As rain clouds sweep in from the west on a winter morning, the Ukrainian Black Sea town of Mykolayiv does not present the most welcoming picture. Up to three feet of standing water obscure the city’s main intersections, where stray dogs and homeless people rush to traverse four lanes of traffic before the next taxi […]

Ukraine

UkraineAlert

Feb 29, 2016

Early Elections in Ukraine Aren’t So Scary. Here’s Why

By <span class="gta-embed--tax--expert gta-post-embed--tax--expert" >Anders Åslund</span>

The dominant view in Washington is that Ukraine must avoid early parliamentary elections. Many Ukrainians, however, see them as inevitable and ultimately they decide. Therefore, we need to discuss not if early parliamentary elections should be held, but instead how and when. Both the United States and the European Union reckon that Ukraine needs political […]

Ukraine

UkraineAlert

Feb 26, 2016

Ukraine’s Booming Tech Sector Gets International Attention Despite War

By <span class="gta-embed--tax--expert gta-post-embed--tax--expert" >Diane Francis</span>

A plain Soviet-era office block squats on a residential street in the beautiful historic city of Lviv, Ukraine. The lobby is dimly lit and there is no seating, only a stern guard who points to the elevator to access local software engineering firm N-iX. The doors part and the offices are an orange and white […]

Russia Ukraine

UkraineAlert

Feb 24, 2016

Remembering the Day Russia Invaded Ukraine

By <span class="gta-embed--tax--expert gta-post-embed--tax--expert" >John E. Herbst and Alina Polyakova</span>

Two years ago on February 27, Russia invaded Ukraine. On the heels of the Euromaidan Revolution and the vicious sniper attacks that killed 103 Ukrainians, Russian President Vladimir Putin saw an opportunity and ordered the military takeover of Crimea. The operation began when Russian military personnel, disguised as little green men in unmarked uniforms, and […]

Ukraine

UkraineAlert

Feb 24, 2016

What If Parliamentary Elections Were Held in Ukraine Today?

By <span class="gta-embed--tax--expert gta-post-embed--tax--expert" >Brian Mefford</span>

With Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk’s government surviving a no-confidence vote on February 16 and the parliamentary coalition splintering the next day, early parliamentary elections are now possible this year. New elections could be triggered by three scenarios: first, if the current majority coalition in parliament collapses and a new majority isn’t formed within thirty days; […]

Ukraine
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