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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

Apr 29, 2021

Energy sanctions can prevent a new Russian offensive in Ukraine

By
Ariel Cohen and David Pasmanik

Expanding US sanctions policy to target Russia’s energy industry remains one of the most powerful remaining tools available to the democratic world as it seeks to deter further Russian aggression in Ukraine.


Conflict


European Union


UkraineAlert

Apr 28, 2021

Dismissal of Naftogaz CEO raises doubts over Ukraine’s corporate governance reforms

By
Aura Sabadus

The Ukrainian government has dismissed Naftogaz CEO Andriy Kobolyev and the company’s supervisory board, raising serious questions over corporate governance reforms at the country's state-owned enterprises.


Oil and Gas


Political Reform


UkraineAlert

Apr 27, 2021

Putin’s imperialism turns neighbors into enemies

By
Peter Dickinson

Putin has instructed Kremlin officials to draw up a list of “unfriendly countries.” Although the identity of these countries is unconfirmed, media reports suggest the list will be dominated by Russia’s neighbors.


Conflict


Eastern Europe


UkraineAlert

Apr 27, 2021

Ukraine must prepare for Putin’s next escalation now

By
Vadym Denysenko, Ihor Popov, Ihor Tyshkevych, Ilya Kusa

Russian President Vladimir Putin recently ordered the withdrawal of Russian forces from positions close to the Ukrainian border, but this saber-rattling display highlights the need for Ukraine to prepare for the worst.


Conflict


National Security


UkraineAlert

Apr 26, 2021

Battle over Putin’s pipeline continues in Washington DC

By
Diane Francis

The Nord Stream 2 pipeline issue must be addressed by US officials as a priority. Time is running out. The Russians hope to finish the pipeline by June, thereby putting pressure on Germany to make it operational.


European Union


Geopolitics & Energy Security


UkraineAlert

Apr 22, 2021

Putin withdraws troops but Russo-Ukrainian War continues

By
Peter Dickinson

Russia appears to have ended weeks of tension by ordering the withdrawal of troops concentrated on the Ukrainian border, but the seven-year Russo-Ukrainian War remains far from over.


Conflict


Russia


UkraineAlert

Apr 22, 2021

Ukraine moves closer to large-scale privatization breakthrough

By
Dmytro Sennychenko

Ukraine is currently on the verge of a large-scale privatization program that could dramatically reduce the country's vast portfolio of corrupt and under-performing state-owned enterprises.


Corruption


Economy & Business


UkraineAlert

Apr 22, 2021

Nord Stream 2 threat: Ukraine and EU neighbors must expand border infrastructure

By
Aura Sabadus

Working with Ukraine now to expand capacities on the country’s borders with the EU, irrespective of the Nord Stream 2 project’s fate, should be a priority not only for Kyiv, but also for Europe as a whole.


European Union


Geopolitics & Energy Security


UkraineAlert

Apr 20, 2021

Ukraine’s nation-building journey and the legacy of the Euromaidan Revolution

By
Sofiya Kominko

Ukrainian MPs recently passed a resolution recognizing the country's 2013-14 Euromaidan Revolution as a "key moment" in Ukraine's nation-building process, but the final verdict of history is still to come.


Civil Society


Democratic Transitions


UkraineAlert

Apr 20, 2021

Putin’s Ukraine War: Can the West prevent a new Russian offensive?

By
Peter Dickinson

The West has responded to a major Russian military build-up on the Ukrainian border by voicing its support for Ukraine, but critics say the international community must do more to deter Vladimir Putin from a new offensive.


Conflict


Russia

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

Mar 7, 2016

Russia Declares War on Crimean Tatars

By Halya Coynash

Two years after invading and annexing Crimea, Russia appears ready to outlaw the Crimean Tatar Mejlis, the representative body of the largest indigenous people of the peninsula. The behavior which Russia deems “extremist” is essentially the Mejlis’ implacable, but always peaceful, opposition to Russia’s occupation. It is unclear whether Western countries will respond with more […]

Russia Ukraine

UkraineAlert

Mar 7, 2016

Mother of Hunger-Striking Pilot Calls for Justice

By Melinda Haring

Editor’s Note: Ukrainian fighter pilot Nadiya Savchenko started a “dry” hunger strike on March 3 after Russian prosecutors requested a 23-year sentence for Savchenko. In 2014, Savchenko was captured by the pro-Russian separatists in the Donbas, transferred to Russia, where she was accused of involvement in the death of two Russian journalists. Savchenko’s mother Mariya […]

Ukraine

UkraineAlert

Mar 4, 2016

“You Have Not Defeated Me and You Never Will!” Ukrainian Fighter Pilot Nadiya Savchenko Tells Russian Court

By Alexei Sobchenko

Even for Russia, where everyday life can best be described as Kafkaesque, the case of Nadiya Savchenko is outrageous. In 2014, during the war in Ukraine’s Donbas, Savchenko, a Ukrainian military officer captured by the pro-Russian separatists in combat, was transferred to Russia, where she was accused of involvement in the death of two Russian […]

Russia Ukraine

UkraineAlert

Mar 2, 2016

Early Elections in Ukraine Are Scarier Than You Think

By Adrian Karatnycky

Should Ukraine hold new elections? Despite the failure of Ukraine’s parliament to remove the government of Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk from office on February 16, the defection of two parties from the governing coalition gives President Petro Poroshenko the ability to declare the absence of a majority coalition and force new elections. Western donors, including […]

European Union International Organizations

UkraineAlert

Mar 2, 2016

Two Cheers for Cold War!

By Alexander J. Motyl

Russian Prime Minister Dmitri Medvedev’s recent suggestion that Russia and the West are embroiled in cold war provoked hasty denials by Western policymakers and commentators. In fact, Medvedev was right: cold war between Russia and the West does exist. But the West’s denials were unnecessary, because cold war is the best possible option for its […]

Ukraine

UkraineAlert

Mar 2, 2016

Women of the Euromaidan: Where Were They Then and Where Are They Now

By Josh Cohen

As Kateryna Kruk walked among her fellow protesters in Kyiv’s central square while checking her phone during the early days of the Euromaidan in December 2013, she noticed an opportunity: Ukrainians shared news of the revolution almost entirely in Ukrainian or Russian. Inspired by the use of social media during the Arab Spring, Kruk started […]

Ukraine

UkraineAlert

Feb 29, 2016

The Real Fight for Ukraine’s Future

By Emmet Tuohy

As rain clouds sweep in from the west on a winter morning, the Ukrainian Black Sea town of Mykolayiv does not present the most welcoming picture. Up to three feet of standing water obscure the city’s main intersections, where stray dogs and homeless people rush to traverse four lanes of traffic before the next taxi […]

Ukraine

UkraineAlert

Feb 29, 2016

Early Elections in Ukraine Aren’t So Scary. Here’s Why

By Anders Åslund

The dominant view in Washington is that Ukraine must avoid early parliamentary elections. Many Ukrainians, however, see them as inevitable and ultimately they decide. Therefore, we need to discuss not if early parliamentary elections should be held, but instead how and when. Both the United States and the European Union reckon that Ukraine needs political […]

Ukraine

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