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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

Aug 14, 2019

Preparing for the US-Ukraine summit

By
Stephen Blank

Presidents Trump and Zelenskyy can not only thwart Moscow across Europe, they can both strengthen their respective countries’ positions across Europe.


Energy Markets & Governance


National Security


UkraineAlert

Aug 13, 2019

Corruption and courts matter but universities are key

By
Marta Farion

Quality education is essential for innovation, initiatives, and competitiveness that have a direct bearing on economic and national security.


Democratic Transitions


Political Reform


UkraineAlert

Aug 13, 2019

Potter’s wheel spins anew in Ukrainian capital

By
Elina-Alem Kent

Although the Crimean people continue to face occupation and dislocation, Rustem Skybin’s art reminds of the vibrant history and culture that they create.


Civil Society


Peacekeeping and Peacebuilding


UkraineAlert

Aug 12, 2019

Want foreign investors to take Ukraine seriously? Prove it

By
Anatoly Motkin

Investors want predictability and protection.


Financial Regulation


Rule of Law


UkraineAlert

Aug 12, 2019

What is Ukraine? We finally have an answer

By
Oleh Havrylyshyn

Ukraine has a strongly democratic society and government espousing diversity in ethnic, linguistic, cultural, and regional dimensions.


Civil Society


Elections


UkraineAlert

Aug 12, 2019

The craft of Kolomoisky

By
Bohdan Nahaylo

Kolomoisky is in search of a new role for himself adjusted to new realities and possibilities, and this will not be his last word.


Corruption


Rule of Law


UkraineAlert

Aug 12, 2019

Ten reasons why Trump should visit Ukraine

By
Andy Hunder

Ukraine has embarked on a massive overhaul of the country and here are ten reasons why the US president should pay a visit.


Politics & Diplomacy


Security & Defense


UkraineAlert

Aug 8, 2019

Time is running out to kill Putin’s pet project

By
Diane Francis

Russia’s disregard for European votes, laws, and court rulings against the pipeline should be reason enough to ban the project.


Geopolitics & Energy Security


Oil and Gas


UkraineAlert

Aug 8, 2019

Why are men still running everything in Ukraine?  

By
Melinda Haring

On inauguration day, the new president issued a picture of him and his inner team strutting down the red carpet. The picture is remarkable for the energy it conveys but it’s also remarkably male. There are no women in his inner circle.


Political Reform


Ukraine


UkraineAlert

Aug 8, 2019

One way to ease Ukraine’s labor shortage

By
Svitlana Butenko, Stuart Linder, and Valeriia Mykhalko

Ukraine can create the conditions where both refugees and asylum seekers can provide for themselves.


Inclusive Growth


Migration

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Content

UkraineAlert

Feb 26, 2016

Ukraine’s Booming Tech Sector Gets International Attention Despite War

By Diane Francis

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 John E. Herbst and Alina Polyakova

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 Brian Mefford

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

UkraineAlert

Feb 24, 2016

In the Absence of American Leadership, Germany Steps in to Engage with Russia—at the EU’s Peril

By Stephen Blank

One particularly visible trend at the recent Munich Security Conference was America’s disengagement from European security issues. Foreign leaders often spoke without referring to the United States, and there was little sign of US involvement beyond its military participation in NATO. Washington’s priorities clearly revolved around Syria, not Europe. This trend confirms theories about the […]

Ukraine

UkraineAlert

Feb 23, 2016

Parliament Votes to Weaken Ukraine’s Key Anti-Corruption Law

By Josh Cohen

Since the overthrow of former President Viktor Yanukovych, the attitude of Ukraine’s post-Maidan government toward reform could best be described as ambivalent. Last week was a case in point. While Kyiv and its Western partners remained riveted by the fate of Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk, parliament greatly weakened a key anti-corruption law originally enacted almost one-and-a-half […]

Ukraine

UkraineAlert

Feb 22, 2016

Russia’s Pernicious Hybrid War Against Ukraine

By Andreas Umland

In recent months, the relative calming of the Russian-Ukrainian war in the Donbas has led many observers to describe this confrontation as yet another “frozen conflict” in the post-Soviet space. Yet even if Russian military activities ceased completely, the analogy is misleading. It is not always understood that Ukraine’s neighbor to the east is actively […]

Russia Ukraine

UkraineAlert

Feb 22, 2016

How Soft Power Works: Russian Passportization and Compatriot Policies Paved Way for Crimean Annexation and War in Donbas

By Agnia Grigas

The following is an edited excerpt from Agnia Grigas’ new book, Beyond Crimea: The New Russian Empire. The book examines Moscow’s policies toward Russian compatriots in former Soviet republics, including Ukraine where they laid the groundwork for Crimea’s annexation and the conflict in the Donbas. Moscow’s policies towards its “compatriots”—loosely defined as ethnic Russians, Russian […]

Russia Ukraine

UkraineAlert

Feb 17, 2016

A Pyrrhic Victory for President Poroshenko

By Anders Åslund

On February 16, the Ukrainian parliament deemed the performance of its government unsatisfactory with 247 votes, but only 194 parliamentarians voted for a no-confidence measure. The government did not fall as some had expected. Overtly, this strange vote may appear a victory for President Petro Poroshenko, but it seems a Pyrrhic victory that may have […]

Ukraine

UkraineAlert

Feb 17, 2016

Making Sense of the Turmoil in Kyiv

By John E. Herbst

Turmoil in Kyiv continued as President Petro Poroshenko called on both Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk and Prosecutor General Viktor Shokin to resign on February 16. The President’s parliamentary faction then introduced a resolution in the Rada, Ukraine’s parliament, describing the performance of the cabinet of ministers, headed by Yatsenyuk, as inadequate. That measure passed, but […]

Ukraine

UkraineAlert

Feb 16, 2016

How to Reverse Putin’s Damage in Syria

By John E. Herbst

Moscow’s operation in Syria was designed to shore up the Assad regime, its long-time ally in the Middle East, from falling to various opposition forces, whose strongest elements were the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIS), the al-Qaeda affiliate Nusra Front, and other extremist Sunni groups. Over time this intervention has also given […]

Russia Syria