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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

Less-Stringent Minsk II Terms Paved the Way for Renewed Sanctions

UkraineAlert
Jul 1, 2025

Putin’s escalating air offensive is overwhelming Ukraine’s defenses

By
Mykola Bielieskov

Russian aerial attacks on Ukrainian cities are expanding rapidly and killing growing numbers of civilians. Kyiv must urgently find technological solutions to defend against Putin’s escalating air offensive, writes Mykola Bielieskov.

Conflict
Defense Industry

Less-Stringent Minsk II Terms Paved the Way for Renewed Sanctions

UkraineAlert
Jun 23, 2025

‘All of Ukraine is ours’: Putin’s Russian imperialism is now on full display

By
Peter Dickinson

Putin declared last week that “all of Ukraine is ours.” The Kremlin dictator’s revealing comments highlight the resurgent Russian imperialism driving Europe’s largest invasion since WWII, writes Peter Dickinson.

Conflict
Disinformation

Less-Stringent Minsk II Terms Paved the Way for Renewed Sanctions

UkraineAlert
Jun 12, 2025

Putin’s peace plan is a blueprint for the end of Ukrainian statehood

By
Tetiana Kotelnykova

Russia’s peace plan sends a clear signal that Moscow wants to erase Ukraine as a state and as a nation. If Western leaders wish to avoid this catastrophic outcome, they must convince Putin that the alternative to a negotiated peace is a Russian defeat, writes Tetiana Kotelnykova.

Conflict
Freedom and Prosperity

Latest analysis

UkraineAlert

Apr 15, 2025

Russian missile strikes on Ukrainian civilians cast shadow over peace talks

By
Mercedes Sapuppo

Russia’s Palm Sunday ballistic missile strike on Sumy was the latest in a series of attacks on Ukrainian cities that have killed dozens of civilians and cast a long shadow over Donald Trump’s efforts to initiate peace talks between Moscow and Kyiv, writes Mercedes Sapuppo.

Conflict
Missile Defense


UkraineAlert

Apr 10, 2025

A pragmatic peace plan for Ukraine

By
Mykola Bielieskov

A pragmatic and sustainable peace is possible in Ukraine if Kyiv’s European partners dramatically increase their own defense spending while significantly strengthening the Ukrainian military, writes Mykola Bielieskov.

European Union
NATO


UkraineAlert

Apr 10, 2025

Ukrainian victims of war crimes need new approaches to justice

By
Nadia Volkova, Eric Witte, Arie Mora

Adopting new approaches to the issue of accountability for alleged war crimes committed during the Russian invasion of Ukraine can bring hope for justice and lay the foundations for a sustainable peace, write Nadia Volkova, Eric Witte, and Arie Mora.

Conflict
Freedom and Prosperity


UkraineAlert

Apr 9, 2025

Putin’s Arctic ambitions: Russia eyes natural resources and shipping routes

By
Bohdan Ustymenko

Russia’s plans to expand its influence in the Arctic region and dominate the Northern Sea Route together with China pose serious security challenges for the international community, writes Bohdan Ustymenko.

China
Conflict


UkraineAlert

Apr 8, 2025

Russia’s endless ceasefire excuses are proof that Putin does not want peace

By
Peter Dickinson

Russia’s endless ceasefire excuses are proof that Vladimir Putin does not want peace and remains committed to the complete destruction of Ukraine as a state and as a nation, writes Peter Dickinson.

Disinformation
Elections


UkraineAlert

Apr 4, 2025

Lithuanians pay tribute to US soldiers who died in training exercise tragedy

By
Agnia Grigas

Thousands of Lithuanians paid tribute this week to four United States soldiers who died during a training exercise in the Baltic nation, writes Agnia Grigas.

Conflict
Defense Policy


UkraineAlert

Apr 3, 2025

The West must stop seeking Putin’s permission for peace in Ukraine

By
Alyona Getmanchuk

If Western leaders are serious about achieving a lasting peace in Europe, they must move decisively to provide Ukraine with security guarantees without worrying whether Putin will agree or not, writes Alyona Getmanchuk.

Conflict
European Union


UkraineAlert

Apr 1, 2025

Russian advance slows in March as Putin’s invasion loses momentum

By
Peter Dickinson

Putin says his invading army is now poised to “finish off” the Ukrainian military, but in reality Russian forces continued to lose momentum in March 2025, with the Kremlin’s territorial gains reportedly falling for a fourth consecutive month, writes Peter Dickinson.

Conflict
Defense Industry


UkraineAlert

Apr 1, 2025

Peace on Putin’s terms would lead to a new era of international insecurity

By
Oleksandr Merezhko

As Trump seeks to end the war in Ukraine, it is apparent that any peace on Putin’s terms would signal the dawn of a dangerous new era marked by mounting instability, international aggression, and the looming threat of nuclear war, writes Oleksandr Merezhko.

China
Conflict


UkraineAlert

Apr 1, 2025

Still no consensus on using frozen Russian assets to support Ukraine

By
Mark Temnycky

Western leaders are still unable to reach a consensus on the use of around $300 billion in frozen Russian assets to finance the Ukrainian war effort, writes Mark Temnycky.

Conflict
Economic Sanctions

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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

Less-Stringent Minsk II Terms Paved the Way for Renewed Sanctions

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

Less-Stringent Minsk II Terms Paved the Way for Renewed Sanctions

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

Less-Stringent Minsk II Terms Paved the Way for Renewed Sanctions

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

Mar 26, 2015

Less-Stringent Minsk II Terms Paved the Way for Renewed Sanctions

By John E. Herbst

On March 19, delegates at the European Union Summit in Brussels agreed to extend tough sanctions against Moscow—until year’s end if necessary—to get Russian President Vladimir Putin to implement the Minsk II ceasefire. Under terms of that deal, signed on February 12, EU sanctions won’t be lifted until Ukraine takes back full control of its […]

European Union Germany

UkraineAlert

Mar 26, 2015

Putin’s War Has Consolidated Ukraine

By Alexander Motyl

Viewed historically, the ongoing Russo-Ukrainian war is the product of four deeper causes and one trigger. First, the Soviet empire’s collapse in 1991 propelled its successor state, Russia, to seek reimperialization for structural and ideological reasons. Second, the emergence of a “fascistoid” (or almost fully fascist) regime made imperial revival a central feature of Vladimir […]

Ukraine

UkraineAlert

Mar 26, 2015

Ukraine’s Powerful Billionaire Governor Quits After Clash With Kyiv

By New Atlanticist

Dnipropetrovsk’s Kolomoyskyi: Patriotic, Corrupt, Threatening—Or All Three? Ukrainian billionaire politician Ihor Kolomoyskyi resigned today as governor of Ukraine’s strategically critical Dnipropetrovsk province after clashing with the central government and parliament over control of two state-owned oil-sector companies. In that clash, Kolomoyskyi last week sent troops of an armed militia he controls to occupy the Kyiv […]

Ukraine

UkraineAlert

Mar 18, 2015

EU Will Kick the Can Down the Road on Russia Sanctions

By Ashish Kumar Sen

Europeans do not want to undermine Minsk II, says analyst European Union leaders meeting in Brussels on March 19 are unlikely to either ramp up or lift sanctions on Russia over its actions in Ukraine, says Edward W. Walker, a professor of political science at the University of California at Berkeley. “It’s very likely that […]

Russia Ukraine

UkraineAlert

Mar 18, 2015

Sanctions Are Still the Answer

By John E. Herbst

Last week, UkraineAlert linked to an interesting piece by Clifford Gaddy criticizing the West’s sanctions on Russia for its aggression in Ukraine. His point is this: Putin believes that Russia is “under assault” by the West and cannot allow Ukraine “to be brought fully into the sphere of influence of its enemy.” Therefore, the West […]

Russia Ukraine

UkraineAlert

Mar 12, 2015

Did Kharkiv Just Become Russia’s Next Target in Ukraine War?

By New Atlanticist

A Criminal Case Could Turn the City’s Political Strongman Back into a Kremlin Ally  In Russia’s campaign to re-assert control over Ukraine, a logical target for its “hybrid war” is Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city and a center of its Russian-speaking population. And indeed, Russia has been working steadily to destabilize Kharkiv (just 25 miles from […]

Russia Ukraine

UkraineAlert

Mar 11, 2015

Ukraine’s Shrinking Hryvnia: How Alarming Is It?

By Yuriy Gorodnichenko

Kyiv Has Begun the Hard Steps of Reform; IMF and Allies Must Now Deliver Quickly The dramatic plunge last month in the value of the hryvnia, Ukraine’s currency, sparked speculation about an immediate, national economic collapse. Despite the drama—the hryvnia lost more than half of its value against the dollar in February, hitting a record […]

Ukraine

UkraineAlert

Mar 6, 2015

The Kremlin’s Secret War: Soldiers’ Families Shattered and Silenced

By New Atlanticist

A Vice News Documentary Shows What Russia Is Hiding—and How Since last summer, when President Vladimir Putin’s government first deployed major units of Russian conventional army troops to fight in its war against Ukraine, the Kremlin has used state secrecy, propaganda, intimidation, and violence to conceal the story. Police have obstructed journalists, arrested them—and in […]

Russia Ukraine

Testimony

Mar 6, 2015

US and Allies Risk War with Russia by a ‘Hesitancy on Ukraine’

By New Atlanticist

Wilson: Only the US Can Lead in Defending Europe Against Putin’s Rising Ambition The United States and its allies must confront the aggressive actions of Russian President Vladimir Putin because failing to do so will escalate his ambitions—perhaps to the point of forcing a war with NATO, the Atlantic Council’s Damon Wilson told the US […]

Europe & Eurasia NATO

UkraineAlert

Mar 5, 2015

Before Russia’s Next Offensive, Obama Should Take the Lead

By New Atlanticist

Burns: Give Arms to Ukraine, More NATO Cover to Baltics—and Leadership for Europe President Barack Obama has given space for Germany’s Chancellor Angela Merkel to lead recently in the Western response to Russia’s war on Ukraine. But it’s now time for the US president to take the reins back, writes former Undersecretary of State Nicholas […]

Ukraine
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