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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

Ukraine Takes Two Steps Forward on Corruption Fight

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

Ukraine Takes Two Steps Forward on Corruption Fight

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

Ukraine Takes Two Steps Forward on Corruption Fight

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

Feb 12, 2026

Ukraine says lifting football ban would risk legitimizing Russia’s invasion

By
Mark Temnycky

Ukraine’s Sports Minister Matvii Bidnyi has slammed calls for Russia’s return to international football and warned that any attempt to reinstate the Russians would risk legitimizing the country’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine, writes Mark Temnycky.


Conflict

Corruption


UkraineAlert

Feb 9, 2026

The Putin regime faces mounting pressure but is still far from collapse

By
Will Dixon, Maksym Beznosiuk

Russia is facing mounting challenges on the battlefield in Ukraine and on the home front, but predictions that the Putin regime is on the brink of collapse remain premature, write Will Dixon and Maksym Beznosiuk.


Conflict

Corruption


UkraineAlert

Feb 7, 2026

Death by cold: Russia is attempting to freeze millions of Ukrainian civilians

By
Kristina Hook

Russia is methodically bombing Ukraine's power and heating infrastructure amid arctic weather conditions in a bid to freeze millions of Ukrainian civilians and make much of the country unlivable, writes Kristina Hook.


Conflict

Drones


UkraineAlert

Feb 5, 2026

Ukrainian democracy is proving its resilience in wartime conditions

By
Oleksiy Goncharenko

Since the onset of Russia's full-scale invasion four years ago, Ukrainians have accepted the necessity of wartime measures to concentrate power while remaining committed to safeguarding the country's hard-won democratic gains, writes Oleksiy Goncharenko.


Civil Society

Conflict


UkraineAlert

Feb 5, 2026

Vladimir Putin must not have a veto over security guarantees for Ukraine

By
Iulian Romanyshyn

If European leaders want to secure a place at the negotiating table, they must demonstrate to the Kremlin that Russia does not have a veto over security guarantees for Ukraine, writes Iulian Romanyshyn.


Conflict

European Union


UkraineAlert

Feb 1, 2026

Ukraine is leading a military revolution but needs more Western support

By
Marc De Vore

The military revolution Ukraine is leading has already succeeded in democratizing the production of long-range strike systems. With more support from Kyiv’s partners, this revolution offers a viable pathway to Russia’s battlefield defeat and can set the stage for an acceptable peace, writes Dr Marc De Vore.


Conflict

Defense Industry


UkraineAlert

Jan 30, 2026

Drone superpower Ukraine can teach Europe how to defend itself

By
Lesia Orobets

Since the onset of Russia's full-scale invasion four years ago, Ukraine has emerged as a drone superpower and is now recognized as indispensable for the future defense of Europe, writes Lesia Orobets.


Conflict

Defense Industry


UkraineAlert

Jan 29, 2026

Ukraine changes tone on Belarus and engages exiled opposition

By
Hanna Liubakova

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy held his first official meeting with exiled Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya last weekend in the latest indication of a significant Ukrainian policy shift toward the country’s northern neighbor, writes Hanna Liubakova.


Belarus

Conflict


UkraineAlert

Jan 29, 2026

Ukraine’s defense tech sector can play a key role in economic security

By
Eric K. Hontz

Ukraine’s defense tech and dual-use sector is a rare wartime success story, with over six hundred innovative and combat‑tested firms becoming increasingly attractive to international investors, writes Eric K. Hontz.


Conflict

Defense Industry


UkraineAlert

Jan 27, 2026

Unable to win on the battlefield, Putin escalates war on Ukrainian civilians

By
Peter Dickinson

A war crime of staggering proportions is currently unfolding in full public view across Ukraine as Russia methodically bombs the country’s utilities in a calculated bid to freeze millions of civilians in their own homes and spark a humanitarian catastrophe, writes Peter Dickinson.


Conflict

Drones

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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

Ukraine Takes Two Steps Forward on Corruption Fight

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

Ukraine Takes Two Steps Forward on Corruption Fight

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

Ukraine Takes Two Steps Forward on Corruption Fight

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

Dec 2, 2015

Ukraine Takes Two Steps Forward on Corruption Fight

By Melinda Haring

On November 30, Ukraine took two steps forward in its fight against corruption. Member of parliament Mykola Martynenko resigned his position, and Nazar Kholodnytsky was appointed the nation’s top anticorruption prosecutor. Martynenko was the deputy head of Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk’s People’s Front party and the head of parliament’s energy and fuel committee. According to […]

Ukraine

UkraineAlert

Dec 2, 2015

Russia Is a “Troll State,” Not a Rogue State

By Andrew Kornbluth

In the eighteen months since Russia annexed Crimea, the world has been alternately captivated and bewildered by the wild swings and sudden shifts that describe Russian foreign policy under President Vladimir Putin. Particularly alarming for those who fear a direct clash between Russia and the West has been Putin’s tendency to swerve between antagonism and […]

Russia Ukraine

UkraineAlert

Dec 1, 2015

Mykolayiv Makes a Surprising Turn Toward the West

By Hannah Thoburn

Built on a series of spits and peninsulas, the Ukrainian city of Mykolayiv feels surrounded by water. It is here that in 1789, Russian Prince Gregory Potemkin built the shipyards that would repair Russian Empire ships fighting the Ottoman Empire, shipyards that remained of such importance that the city was closed to foreigners for most […]

Ukraine

UkraineAlert

Nov 30, 2015

“The human rights situation in Crimea today is deplorable,” German MP Says

By Christoph Bergner

Editor’s Note: This piece is adapted from a speech Dr. Christoph Bergner, a member of Germany’s Bundestag, gave at the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung Foundation on October 21, 2015. I would like to thank the organizers of this event for making human rights issues in Crimea the main topic. Even if other news is currently making headlines, we […]

Russia Ukraine

UkraineAlert

Nov 30, 2015

Ukraine Two Years After Euromaidan: What Has Been Accomplished?

By Anders Åslund

Two years ago, popular protests erupted against Ukraine’s former President Viktor Yanukovych on Kyiv’s Maidan. Since then, Ukraine’s economy has deteriorated sharply, with a contraction of 18 percent in two years, but the Poroshenko Bloc was the biggest party by far in the October 25 local elections. One might say that the Ukrainian nation has […]

Ukraine

UkraineAlert

Nov 24, 2015

Russia Not a Reliable Partner in Fighting Terrorism

By Stephen Blank

In the wake of recent terror attacks in Paris, President François Hollande has called for Russian and American cooperation against ISIS, joining many other policymakers who have voiced the need for cooperation between Russian and American intelligence agencies against Islamic terrorism. Indeed, Russian President Vladimir Putin urged his generals to treat French forces as “allies.” […]

Russia Ukraine

UkraineAlert

Nov 24, 2015

Making Sense of Mariupol’s Messy Elections

By Vera Zimmerman

As cities finished counting the votes from Ukraine’s second round of mayoral elections, Mariupol and Krasnoarmiisk in the Donetsk region still haven’t held elections. Mariupol, which over the last nineteen months has been a strategic target of pro-Russian separatists, has become a political battleground. Local elections that were supposed to take place on October 25 […]

Russia Ukraine

UkraineAlert

Nov 23, 2015

Ukraine Is Not a Bargaining Chip for Putin’s Support Against ISIS

By Ihor Kozak

A month and a half ago, while traveling along the frontlines of eastern Ukraine, I predicted that the Minsk II ceasefire agreements would not be respected by the Kremlin and its puppet Peoples’ Republics. It was clear to me—in spite of a tentative ceasefire put in place on October 2—that the situation in the Donbas […]

Russia Ukraine

UkraineAlert

Nov 18, 2015

Making Sense of Ukraine’s Local Elections: Voters Put Multiple Parties in Office

By Brian Mefford

As the ballots are counted in Ukraine’s November 15 runoff elections, the preliminary results show no national mandate or overarching themes. Instead, in a positive step for the country’s democratic development, voters dispersed power widely and put multiple political parties into office. Here’s a quick rundown of the big races and the big surprises: Kyiv: […]

Ukraine

UkraineAlert

Nov 17, 2015

Putin Transformed from Stubborn Holdout to Star at G20

By Anders Åslund

At the G-20 meeting in Antalya, Turkey, on November 16, Russia’s President Vladimir Putin proposed that Russia could restructure the $3 billion Eurobond that he lent former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych in December 2013. It comes due on December 20. This was a sudden change of policy. Until that moment, the Kremlin had insisted on […]

Russia Ukraine
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