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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.

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Latest analysis

UkraineAlert

May 21, 2024

Ukraine’s soccer stars aim for Euro 2024 glory amid Russian invasion

By Mark Temnycky

The Ukrainian national soccer team heads to Euro 2024 in Germany this summer hoping to provide their war-weary compatriots with a much-needed morale boost, writes Mark Temnycky.

Conflict Freedom and Prosperity

UkraineAlert

May 16, 2024

Anger and defiance in Kharkiv as advancing Russian troops draw closer

By Maria Avdeeva

The mood in Kharkiv is a mix of anger, anxiety, and defiance as Ukraine’s second city prepares to defend itself against a new Russian offensive, writes Maria Avdeeva.

Conflict Drones

UkraineAlert

May 15, 2024

Georgia’s government uses Kremlin playbook to consolidate grip on power

By Lucy Minicozzi-Wheeland

The Georgian government’s efforts to adopt a Kremlin-style law imposing restrictions on civil society has sparked huge protests and led to questions over the country’s future geopolitical direction, writes Lucy Minicozzi-Wheeland.

Civil Society Democratic Transitions

UkraineAlert

May 14, 2024

Russia’s growing kamikaze drone fleet tests Ukraine’s limited air defenses

By Marcel Plichta

Russia’s expanding fleet of kamikaze drones poses an evolving security threat to Ukraine that tests the country’s limited air defense capabilities, writes Marcel Plichta.

Conflict Defense Industry

UkraineAlert

May 14, 2024

Putin appoints economist as defense minister as Russia plans for long war

By Mercedes Sapuppo

The appointment of a technocrat economist as Russia’s new Defense Minister is a clear sign that Putin preparing the country for a long war with Ukraine and the West, writes Mercedes Sapuppo.

Conflict Defense Industry

UkraineAlert

May 14, 2024

Putin expands invasion as outgunned Ukraine waits for Western weapons

By Mykola Bielieskov

Russia has opened a new front in the invasion of Ukraine with a cross-border offensive in the northeastern Kharkiv region as Putin seeks to capitalize on a window of opportunity before fresh Western aid reaches Ukrainian front line troops, writes Mykola Bielieskov.

Conflict Drones

UkraineAlert

May 9, 2024

Russia’s Georgia strategy offers hints of Kremlin vision for Ukraine

By Nicholas Chkhaidze

Russia’s attempts to force Georgia back into the Kremlin orbit via political control offer a hint of Moscow’s vision for a future settlement with a defeated Ukraine, writes Nicholas Chkhaidze.

Conflict Disinformation

UkraineAlert

May 9, 2024

Putin’s one tank victory parade is a timely reminder Russia can be beaten

By Peter Dickinson

Putin’s one tank victory parade reflects the catastrophic scale of Russian losses in Ukraine and is a reminder that behind the facade of overwhelming strength, the Russian army is far from invincible, writes Peter Dickinson.

Conflict Defense Industry

UkraineAlert

May 7, 2024

Ukraine’s second city is struggling to survive amid relentless Russian bombing

By Maria Avdeeva

Ukraine’s second city, Kharkiv, is struggling to survive amid a campaign of relentless Russian bombing that aims to make the city unlivable, writes Maria Avdeeva.

Civil Society Conflict

UkraineAlert

May 7, 2024

Putin cannot be allowed to use chemical weapons in Ukraine with impunity

By Emma Nix

After years of Ukrainians sounding the alarm over Russia’s alleged use of chemical weapons, the US Department of State has now substantiated these claims, writes Emma Nix.

Arms Control Conflict

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UkraineAlert

Jun 6, 2024

Russia is winning the energy war and plunging Ukraine into darkness

By Elena Davlikanova

Electricity blackouts are the new normal in Ukraine as the country struggles to cope with the consequences of a devastating Russian air offensive that has destroyed around half of Ukraine’s wartime power-generating capacity since the start of 2024, writes Elena Davlikanova.

Conflict Geopolitics & Energy Security

UkraineAlert

Jun 4, 2024

Vladimir Putin just tacitly admitted Crimea is not really part of Russia

By Peter Dickinson

Russia claims to have annexed five Ukrainian provinces but refuses to extend security red lines to these regions. This highlights the pragmatic political realities behind Putin's talk of historic conquests, writes Peter Dickinson.

Conflict Disinformation

UkraineAlert

May 30, 2024

If the West wants a sustainable peace it must commit to Ukrainian victory

By Hanna Hopko, Andrius Kubilius

Since 2022, Western policies of escalation management have failed to appease Putin and have only emboldened the Kremlin. If the West wants peace, it must help Ukraine win, write Hanna Hopko and Andrius Kubilius.

Civil Society Conflict

UkraineAlert

May 28, 2024

‘The time has come’: Calls grow to allow Ukrainian strikes inside Russia

By Peter Dickinson

Pressure is building for the US and other NATO allies to lift restrictions on the use of Western weapons for Ukrainian strikes inside Russia, writes Peter Dickinson.

Conflict Defense Technologies

UkraineAlert

May 28, 2024

Only enhanced air defenses can save Ukraine from winter energy collapse

By Aura Sabadus

Ukraine's power grid has been decimated in recent months by a major Russian bombing campaign. In order to avoid a humanitarian catastrophe this winter, the country urgently needs more air defenses, writes Aura Sabadus.

Conflict European Union

UkraineAlert

May 27, 2024

Russia is bombing book publishers as Putin wages war on Ukrainian identity

By Maria Avdeeva

Russia's recent targeted bombing of a major Ukrainian book publishing plant in Kharkiv is part of the Kremlin's wider war against Ukrainian national identity, writes Maria Avdeeva.

Civil Society Conflict

UkraineAlert

May 23, 2024

Pride of Ukraine: Oleksandr Usyk’s historic victory boosts wartime morale

By Joshua Stein

Ukrainian boxer Oleksandr Usyk's remarkable achievement in unifying the heavyweight division for the first time this century has provided war-torn Ukraine with a welcome morale boost, writes Joshua Stein.

Conflict Resilience & Society

UkraineAlert

May 23, 2024

Ukraine faces long-term mental health challenges among veteran community

By Claire Szewczyk

Far away from the front lines of the country’s ongoing war with Russia, growing numbers of Ukrainian veterans are facing up to the psychological aftermath of their military service, writes Claire Szewczyk.

Civil Society Conflict

UkraineAlert

May 23, 2024

President Zelenskyy’s term is over but he’s still a legitimate wartime leader

By Elena Davlikanova

Kremlin attempts to question the legitimacy of Ukraine's President Zelenskyy due to the end of his official term in office ignore the obvious impossibility of holding elections amid Europe's biggest invasion since World War II, writes Elena Davlikanova.

Civil Society Conflict

UkraineAlert

May 21, 2024

Ukraine’s Western allies should fear Russian victory not Russian defeat

By Peter Dickinson

Ukrainian President Zelenskyy says his country's allies fear the potential geopolitical consequences of Russian defeat, but Russian victory is a far more realistic and alarming prospect, writes Peter Dickinson.

Conflict Defense Industry