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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

May 18, 2023

New Bernard Henri-Lévy documentary challenges Ukraine fatigue

By
Melinda Haring, Jacob Heilbrunn

For anyone seeking to make sense of Russia’s war in Ukraine, viewing French public intellectual Bernard Henri-Lévy’s new feature-length documentary “Slava Ukraini” (“Glory to Ukraine”) isn’t an option. It’s a must.


Civil Society


Conflict


UkraineAlert

May 15, 2023

Wagner chief’s rants highlight Russian infighting ahead of Ukraine offensive

By
Olivia Yanchik

Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin's public rants against Russia’s military leadership point to mounting infighting within Putin’s invading army as it prepares to face a potentially decisive Ukrainian offensive, writes Olivia Yanchik.


Conflict


Disinformation


UkraineAlert

May 12, 2023

Andriy Yermak: Italy is defending common European values in Ukraine

By
Andriy Yermak

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni is right to say that helping Ukraine defend itself against Russian invasion is about freedom, justice, and common values, writes the head of Ukraine's Office of the President, Andriy Yermak.


Conflict


Economy & Business


UkraineAlert

May 11, 2023

Britain becomes first country to supply Ukraine with long-range missiles

By
Peter Dickinson

Britain has confirmed it is providing Ukraine with long-range missiles. The decision is a major milestone in international efforts to support the Ukrainian fight back against Russia’s ongoing invasion, writes Peter Dickinson.


Conflict


Freedom and Prosperity


UkraineAlert

May 11, 2023

Greater clarity is needed in US policy toward Ukraine

By
Michael F. Oppenheimer

The US has been instrumental in rallying international support for Ukraine, but the Biden administration still needs to clarify whether it views the Russian invasion as a pivotal moment in world politics, writes Michael F. Oppenheimer.


Conflict


Freedom and Prosperity


UkraineAlert

May 11, 2023

Deciphering Vladimir Putin’s unspoken Victory Day message

By
Alexander Motyl

Putin's unspoken Victory Day message: The seating arrangements at this week’s parade indicate that despite the military setbacks of the past 15 months, the Russian dictator is doubling down on his goal of subjugating Ukraine.


Conflict


Freedom and Prosperity


UkraineAlert

May 9, 2023

Putin’s embarrassing one-tank parade hints at catastrophic losses in Ukraine

By
Peter Dickinson

Putin has transformed Victory Day into a celebration of Russia's resurgence as a military superpower, but this year's embarrassing one-tank parade underlined the catastrophic scale of Russian losses in Ukraine, writes Peter Dickinson.


Conflict


Defense Industry


UkraineAlert

May 9, 2023

Russia’s invasion fails to prevent progress in Ukraine’s energy sector

By
Aura Sabadus

Russia's seven-month airstrike campaign against Ukraine's civilian energy infrastructure has failed to derail Ukrainian progress toward greater energy sector integration with the EU, writes Aura Sabadus.


Conflict


Energy Transitions


UkraineAlert

May 8, 2023

Russia’s last red line: Will the West help Ukraine liberate Crimea?

By
Dennis Soltys

The Crimean question has become a litmus test for Ukraine’s Western partners; do they want Ukraine to win the war, or are they merely seeking to avoid an outright Russian victory?


Conflict


European Union


UkraineAlert

May 4, 2023

Ukraine seeks more German support on Russia’s invasion and EU accession

By
Alyona Getmanchuk

Many Ukrainians have been disappointed by Germany's cautious approach to countering Russian aggression against Ukraine and Berlin's preoccupation with avoiding anything that might provoke Putin, writes Alyona Getmanchuk.


Conflict


Financial Sanctions and Economic Coercion

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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

Jan 27, 2016

In Ukraine, Putin Tries to Cash in Before Luck Runs Out

By Stephen Blank

Ukraine has become the object of high-stakes diplomacy. This does not mean that fighting has stopped—quite the opposite. Russian forces continue to launch probes and violate the cease-fire agreement; they have substantially reinforced themselves, as have the Ukrainian forces arrayed against them. Nevertheless, a major diplomatic campaign is occurring. Russian President Vladimir Putin has taken […]

European Union International Organizations

UkraineAlert

Jan 27, 2016

Making Sense of Minsk: Decentralization, Special Status, and Federalism

By Paul Niland

Decentralization, special status, and federalism. These terms are three different things, although they are often mistakenly substituted one for another, and some people think one term means another in Ukraine today. The decentralization debate is heating up again as Ukraine faces a legal deadline to pass a constitutional amendment that gives the so-called Donetsk People’s […]

Russia Ukraine

UkraineAlert

Jan 26, 2016

Not So Fast, Mr. Inozemtsev

By John E. Herbst

Responding to an article that Ambassadors Steven Pifer, William Taylor, and I wrote in The New York Times advocating greater US and EU assistance to Ukraine, Vladislav Inozemtsev wrote a provocative article January 19 in which he makes the case that Kyiv should cede the occupied territories of the Donetsk People’s Republic (DNR), Luhansk People’s […]

Russia Ukraine

UkraineAlert

Jan 25, 2016

Ukrainians Need to Stop Waiting for Their White Knight

By Sergii Leshchenko

My source leaned forward and said in a muffled voice: “The latest news is that grey cardinal Igor Kononenko’s men have been placed inside Ukrainian Railways, and Member of Parliament Sergei Fayermak of the People’s Front is now in charge of all the seaports.” This conversation with a government insider took place in the middle […]

Ukraine

UkraineAlert

Jan 25, 2016

Ukraine’s Economic Revival Starting in the West

By James Brooke

What do coastal China, northern Mexico, and western Ukraine have in common? After Beijing dropped Maoist economics in the 1970s, low-wage China began to thrive. The economic boom started with the coast, the area closest to the Pacific coast ports of Canada and the United States, with its access to a huge market. Low-wage northern […]

European Union International Organizations

UkraineAlert

Jan 25, 2016

Did Ukraine’s Cyberattacks Originate in Russia?

By Cristina Maza

As Ukraine grapples with a plethora of challenges, including endemic corruption and trade disputes with Russia, cyberattacks against the country’s critical infrastructure can now be added to the list of issues. In late December, Ukraine experienced what may have been the world’s first blackout caused by a cyberattack. While the blackout was short-lived, it affected […]

Cybersecurity Russia

UkraineAlert

Jan 22, 2016

What Falling Oil Prices Mean for Russia and Ukraine

By Anders Åslund

At present the price of Brent crude oil is $28 per barrel, while it was $114 per barrel in June 2014. This price fall by three-quarters is of great importance for the Russian economy and its policy toward Ukraine. The only rational option for the Kremlin is to wind down the conflict with Ukraine. Russia […]

Russia Ukraine

UkraineAlert

Jan 20, 2016

Russia Intervention in Syria Has Its Limits

By Sam Skove

While Russia’s intervention in Syria appears to have helped Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s regime claw its way back from the brink of defeat, the Kremlin’s gambit is in many ways a limited one. Russian President Vladimir Putin, thanks to technical and political constraints, cannot significantly ramp up his forces in the region. This means that […]

Russia Syria

UkraineAlert

Jan 20, 2016

A Conflict Erupts Online Between Ukrainians and Russians

By Alexei Sobchenko

A vicious diatribe recently exploded on the Russian Internet between several Ukrainian journalists and bloggers on one side, and prominent Russian opposition bloggers and activists on the other. The discourse reflects the deep divide between the two nations, which has continued to deteriorate since the events of 2014. The debate has been brewing for a […]

Russia Ukraine

UkraineAlert

Jan 19, 2016

What Minsk Accord? Kremlin-Backed Militants Hold Luhansk Journalist Hostage for Year

By Halya Coynash

Eleven months after Russian President Vladimir Putin’s agreement in Minsk that all prisoners must be released, Kremlin-backed militants are continuing to hold a number of prisoners, including many civilians, like 31-year-old Luhansk journalist Maria Varfolomeyeva. Varfolomeyeva worked for the local news website Svobodny Reporter and has worked as a fixer for various national media, including […]

Russia Ukraine