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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 9, 2018

One Overlooked Issue That Ukraine’s Political Parties Should Seize Now

By
Olena Prokopenko and Eugene Krapyvin

Police reform is still listed among Ukraine’s most successful reforms undertaken since the Revolution of Dignity, but it shouldn’t be. In 2014-2015, it served as a showcase demonstrating Ukraine’s progress. To be fair, some results had been attained by that point: the newly reshuffled patrol police force was more transparent, it demonstrated zero tolerance for […]


Ukraine


UkraineAlert

Jul 5, 2018

Poroshenko Should Get an Earful in Brussels, But Not for the Reasons You Expect

By
Anna Kyslytska

On July 9, Ukraine President Petro Poroshenko and European Council President Donald Tusk plan to meet at the EU-Ukraine Summit in Brussels to discuss a range of issues. Anticorruption reform will rightfully be at the top of the list, but there’s another issue that the Europeans should raise forcefully. One that escapes the headlines.


European Union


International Organizations


UkraineAlert

Jul 3, 2018

How the Tymoshenko We All Know Is Changing

By
Mykola Vorobiov

On June 20, Yulia Tymoshenko officially announced that she’s running for president, which is no great surprise. The former prime minister tops the polls and it’s her race to lose.


Ukraine


UkraineAlert

Jul 3, 2018

Exclusive: New Party Enters Fray as Ukraine’s Opposition Tries to Unify

By
Melinda Haring

Ukraine’s got a real chance to elect a reform-minded president if Western-leaning opposition parties unify. A dozen political consultants and smart Ukraine hands have told me that campaign funds will come if there’s unity, and with nearly 40 percent of voters still undecided, there’s still time to court voters ahead of the March 2019 presidential […]


Ukraine


UkraineAlert

Jul 2, 2018

Q&A: Will Trump Give Away Crimea at Helsinki?

By
Melinda Haring

On June 29, President Donald Trump told reporters that he hasn’t ruled out recognizing Russia’s illegal annexation of Ukraine’s Crimea in 2014. Trump is set to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin in Helsinki on July 16 and many worry that he may gamble away Crimea. US policy on Crimea has been consistent since 2014, and […]


Russia


Ukraine


UkraineAlert

Jun 29, 2018

Forget Defense Spending Debates. Here’s What NATO Summit Should Focus On

By
Stephen Blank

From the standpoint of defense spending, Russia’s navy might be thought of as the neglected stepchild of the Russian military. But that conclusion would be wrong. That’s especially true if one considers its recent deployments and activities; in the past year, Russia has actively and strategically utilized its navy to send clear signals to its […]


Russia


Ukraine


UkraineAlert

Jun 28, 2018

Is Putin Planning a Post-World Cup Surprise?

By
James Brooke

A Russia-Ukraine water war may emerge after the World Cup final on July 15. Just as President Vladimir Putin made his move to invade Crimea immediately after the conclusion of the Winter Olympics in Sochi, he could decide that it is once again time for decisive action after the Russia-hosted World Cup wraps up. Currently, […]


Russia


Ukraine


UkraineAlert

Jun 28, 2018

Ukraine Sacks Finance Minister. Will the New One Be Any Good?

By
Oksana Bedratenko

Ukraine’s Finance Ministry doesn’t get enough credit. For four years it has been key to avoiding the worst of the economic downturn and attaining macroeconomic stability as the country continues to respond to Russian aggression. The Finance Ministry is in the spotlight again.


Ukraine


UkraineAlert

Jun 27, 2018

What Ukraine Needs Now

By
Diane Francis

A prominent Ukrainian journalist Dmytro Gnap just threw his hat in the ring as a presidential candidate, and threw a spanner in the best laid plans of the country’s corrupt politicians and oligarchs. He has been an activist and a victim of the country’s corruption and is running because he’s fed up. He has exposed […]


Ukraine


UkraineAlert

Jun 26, 2018

Finally Some Good News from Ukraine

By
Melinda Haring

It’s been six months since I’ve seen Ukraine’s most energetic minister, Dr. Ulana Suprun, and she’s been busy. Her comprehensive efforts to overhaul Ukraine’s dysfunctional health system are going well, she assures me. It’s the first time I’ve heard this statement about any reform anywhere in Kyiv.


Ukraine

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UkraineAlert

Jun 14, 2016

Odious Film about Russian Whistle-Blower Screens at Newseum

By Natalia Arno and Melinda Haring

On June 13, the Newseum did what the European Parliament was too principled to do: it showed The Magnitsky Act, Russian filmmaker Andrei Nekrasov’s controversial new film about Sergei Magnitsky. Magnitsky was a Russian tax lawyer who investigated a tax fraud scheme on behalf of his client, British-American financier William Browder. In 2008, Magnitsky accused […]

Russia Ukraine

UkraineAlert

Jun 13, 2016

Counting Sheep Is Courageous, Soulful, and Important: A Review

By Diane Francis

“Counting Sheep” is a “guerrilla folk opera” that guides audiences on an immersive and soulful journey through Ukraine’s Revolution of Dignity. Its creators are Mark and Marichka Marczyk who met and fell in love in Kyiv during the protests of 2013 and 2014. Mark is a talented Canadian musician of Ukrainian heritage and Marichka Kudriavtseva […]

Ukraine

UkraineAlert

Jun 13, 2016

Ukraine’s Oligarchs May Own the Media, but Public Broadcasting Is Shaking Things Up

By Roman Shutov

Last year, after years of debate and lobbying on the issue, public broadcasting was established in Ukraine. In a country suffering from a serious crisis of trust in the media, it looked like a chance to regain people’s faith. The dramatic decline in citizens’ trust in media started in 2014, when central Ukrainian TV channels […]

Ukraine

UkraineAlert

Jun 8, 2016

Ukraine’s Next Big Reform You Haven’t Heard of Yet

By Michael Druckman

Ukraine watchers know all too well that for every success reported about the country, there are numerous setbacks. Yet there are encouraging signs currently occurring within the reform process, particularly at the local level. Perhaps the most successful reform is quietly taking place outside of Kyiv, and has the potential to reinvigorate civic participation, address […]

Ukraine

UkraineAlert

Jun 7, 2016

Civil Society Gives Ukraine’s New Prime Minister Positive Marks

By Josh Cohen

During almost eight weeks in office, Ukrainian Prime Minister Volodymyr Groisman has inspired largely negative reactions from Western analysts. Noting Groisman’s close relationship with President Petro Poroshenko, observers fret the young prime minister will merely function as a yes-man. His appointment was variously described as “same old, same old,” “not the best choice,” and an […]

Ukraine

UkraineAlert

Jun 7, 2016

The Savchenko Effect

By Brian Mefford

The release from a Russian prison and return of helicopter pilot Nadiya Savchenko to Ukraine has ignited speculation about her future political plans. Elected as the first candidate on the party list of Yulia Tymoshenko’s bloc in the October 2014 parliamentary elections, Savchenko immediately entered politics upon her return to Ukraine. Savchenko’s initial speeches focused […]

Ukraine

UkraineAlert

Jun 7, 2016

Ukraine Defies Anti-Semitic Stereotypes

By Alina Polyakova

Confronting a difficult history is no easy matter, particularly in Ukraine—a country caught between murderous regimes throughout the twentieth century. In his book Bloodlands, Yale historian Timothy Snyder places Ukraine at the center of a region where more than 14 million “non-combatants” were ruthlessly killed by the competing geopolitical goals of Adolf Hitler and Joseph […]

Ukraine

UkraineAlert

Jun 6, 2016

Ten Reasons to Invest in Ukraine

By Anders Åslund

Those who have invested in Ukraine so far have not been very happy with their return. At present, Ukraine’s gross domestic product is about $85 billion, approximately one-eighth of Poland’s GDP. The return on investment has been in proportion to that. Will things change? You can never be sure, but like before, Ukraine holds great […]

Ukraine

UkraineAlert

Jun 2, 2016

Don’t Celebrate Ukraine’s New Judicial Changes Yet

By Halya Coynash

Ukraine’s parliament has ignored warnings from human rights organizations and the Reanimation Package of Reforms and passed constitutional amendments and a bill on the judicial system which retain the old ways of exerting influence on judges. There was enormous pressure for judicial reform, and many of the changes are needed. The warnings, however, highlight real […]

Ukraine

UkraineAlert

Jun 1, 2016

Ukraine Needs to Stop Dragging its Feet on Privatization

By Aivaras Abromavičius

State-owned enterprises remain Ukraine’s Achilles’ heel. They are where political corruption spirals out of control with cronyism and backroom deals, and it is time to put an end to it. Privatization is the only real solution. No one has ever been popular by selling state assets and the timing is never right. Yet these companies […]

Ukraine