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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

Oct 4, 2019

Expert Q&A: Will the Steinmeier Formula bring peace to Ukraine?

By
Mattia Nelles

What does the Steinmeier Formula mean for Ukraine and could this be the first step in a peaceful settlement of the Donbas war?


Conflict


Crisis Management


UkraineAlert

Oct 3, 2019

Early warning signs in Ukraine

By
Bohdan Nahaylo

The recent resignation of Oleksandr Danyliuk is a blow to all those who have expected better from the new Ukrainian president and his team.


Democratic Transitions


Political Reform


UkraineAlert

Oct 3, 2019

Rebuilding Ukraine one house at a time

By
Yurko Didula

Five years after Kramatorsk, our volunteer initiative has become the largest volunteer movement in Ukraine with a network of more than 2,500 volunteers. Together, we have restored housing for 220 families and helped 17 cities create their own youth centers.


Civil Society


Conflict


UkraineAlert

Oct 2, 2019

Will Ukraine make a deal with Kolomoisky? Three things to watch

By
Oksana Bedratenko

There are only three things to watch to determine whether rumors about a possible deal with Kolomoisky are true: changes in NBU leadership, developments in PrivatBank-related cases in Ukrainian courts, and how the cases in international courts play out.


Financial Regulation


International Financial Institutions


UkraineAlert

Oct 1, 2019

Hard questions for Mr. Zelenskyy

By
Bohdan Nahaylo

Is Ukraine about to be sold out and further weakened by internal splits?


Elections


Human Rights


UkraineAlert

Oct 1, 2019

Leave Ukraine out of the Ukraine scandal

By
Oleksii Honcharenko

I have one request for American political elites: stop making Ukraine a political football in the internal affairs of the United States. Nothing less than our security and Europe’s security depends on it.


Crisis Management


Defense Policy


UkraineAlert

Oct 1, 2019

Ukraine is having a very bad month

By
Melinda Haring

Only three weeks ago, diplomats, the international finance community, and Ukraine boosters were so upbeat.


Corruption


Democratic Transitions


UkraineAlert

Sep 27, 2019

Why Zelenskyy needs a new chief of staff now

By
Melinda Haring

A new investigation may shed light on the views of Zelenskyy's chief of staff Andriy Bohdan toward Russia and the West.


Corruption


Democratic Transitions


UkraineAlert

Sep 26, 2019

Expert Q&A: How’s the US-Ukraine relationship after New York?

By
Melinda Haring

How’s the US-Ukraine relationship after New York? What should Zelenskyy do next? How could Russian President Vladimir Putin exploit this?


Corruption


Democratic Transitions


UkraineAlert

Sep 26, 2019

Will Zelenskyy make the same fatal mistake as Poroshenko?

By
Kateryna Butko

Judicial reform is one of the most anticipated promises made by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during his unorthodox campaign.


Civil Society


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

May 19, 2016

Reconciliation Will Be Ukraine’s Next Serious Battle with Russia

By Volodymyr Turchynovskyy

Until very recently, Ukrainians predominantly spoke a language of identities, differentiating between people from western Ukraine and people from the eastern part of the country, Ukrainian speaking versus Russian speaking, Greek Catholics versus Orthodox. But what was powerfully witnessed during the Euromaidan was the emergence of a new modality of communication that we might call […]

Russia Ukraine

UkraineAlert

May 18, 2016

Memo to Ukraine and the West: Beware of Unrealistic Peace Plans. The Kremlin Will Outplay You Every Time

By Maksym Khylko

The latest Normandy Four meeting on May 11 in Berlin did not result in any major breakthroughs to end the stalemate in Ukraine. Russia and Ukraine agreed to create demilitarized zones in separatist-held areas of eastern Ukraine, enhance information-sharing, and halt military exercises along the contact line, but these steps will not break the current […]

Russia Ukraine

UkraineAlert

May 17, 2016

Why Sweden Still Hasn’t Joined NATO

By Aaron Korewa

Sweden is one of Europe’s fiercest critics of Russia’s actions against Ukraine, but NATO membership is out for now US President Barack Obama just hosted the leaders of the countries that he wishes the rest of the world would emulate. During the Nordic-United States summit, the president had a chance to repeat to his Scandinavian […]

NATO Northern Europe

UkraineAlert

May 16, 2016

High Time for Privatization in Ukraine

By Anders Åslund

Last year, the Ukrainian government recorded 1,833 operating state-owned companies, and another 1,700 that were standing still. These 3,500 companies do not yield any profits; instead, they cause the government vast losses. Any profit is stolen. Sensibly, the government focused on cutting losses and improving corporate governance in 2015. Now, this obsolete junk should be […]

Ukraine

UkraineAlert

May 16, 2016

How Ukraine Can Recover Its Stolen Assets from Kleptocrats and Russia

By Alan Riley

Ukraine has suffered from a negligent and criminal administration, then revolution, war, invasion, annexation, and a situation close to economic collapse. One can argue that turning to legal solutions for recovery of some of the losses that Ukraine has suffered is not realistic or practical. While it is true that Ukraine cannot frogmarch members of […]

Russia Ukraine

UkraineAlert

May 16, 2016

Jamala’s Triumph at Eurovision Reminds Ukraine to Take Cultural Diplomacy Seriously

By Kateryna Smagliy

The 2016 Eurovision Song Contest has energized Ukrainians, whose spirits had been low due to “Ukraine fatigue,” continuous political feuds, and lack of reforms. Jamala’s win and her powerful song about persecution and the abuse of Crimean Tatars has filled our hearts with pride and solidarity. It also reminds us that culture is a powerful […]

Russia Ukraine

UkraineAlert

May 13, 2016

Why Slow and Steady Wins the Race: A Case for Patience in Post-Maidan Ukraine

By Alexander J. Motyl

The aftermath of revolutions is always disappointing. Expectations of immediate transformation come up against intractable reality and a deep and debilitating disappointment usually sets in among much of the population. But not among radicals, who typically demand a thoroughgoing renewal of the elites deemed responsible for “betraying” the cause. In France, which set the pattern […]

Ukraine

UkraineAlert

May 11, 2016

One Year Later, Ukraine’s Patrol Police Enjoy Massive Spike in Trust

By Katie LaRoque

If one were to merely follow national politics in Ukraine, it would be easy to become discouraged about the state of reforms. Headlines from top media suggest that Ukraine’s longstanding oligarchic power structures and institutionalized corruption have persisted in the wake of the Revolution of Dignity, frustrating citizens and the international community. Indeed, the many […]

Europe & Eurasia Ukraine

UkraineAlert

May 11, 2016

Let’s Do the Numbers: What Would Ukraine’s Parliament Look Like if Elections Were Held Today?

By Brian Mefford

Ukraine will likely avoid early parliamentary elections this year. Some analysts feared that early elections would bring populists to power, while others reasoned that they might bring more reformers into parliament. Barring a collapse of the thin parliamentary majority that made Volodomyr Groisman Ukraine’s prime minister on April 14, he has one year to perform […]

Ukraine

UkraineAlert

May 9, 2016

Why Ukraine Needs the IMF

By Anders Åslund

Just after the May holidays, a mission from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) plans to visit Ukraine from May 10-18. The Ukrainian government and the informed public pay great attention to this event, and rightly so. Ukraine is likely to obtain a much delayed credit of $1.7 billion by mid-June. The beauty of the IMF […]

Ukraine