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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 30, 2022

Ukraine War Diary: “You can never really get used to the air raid sirens”

By
Vitaly Sych

Ukrainian media personality Vitaly Sych has kept a war diary recounting his experiences and observations during the past two terrifying and heroic months as Ukrainians have adjusted to Vladimir Putin’s criminal invasion.


Conflict


Cybersecurity


UkraineAlert

Apr 27, 2022

Beyond Putin: Russian imperialism is the No. 1 threat to global security

By
Volodymyr Vakhitov, Natalia Zaika

Many Western leaders accuse Vladimir Putin of single-handedly sparking the current war in Ukraine but in reality the roots of the conflict are far deeper and reflect longstanding Russian imperial attitudes toward Ukraine.


Conflict


Disinformation


UkraineAlert

Apr 23, 2022

New stamp captures Ukraine’s resolve to defy Putin and defeat Russia

By
Peter Dickinson

A new Ukrainian postage stamp commemorating an iconic act of resistance to Vladimir Putin’s invasion has become a symbol of surging patriotic pride and growing confidence in Ukraine’s eventual victory over Russia.


Civil Society


Conflict


UkraineAlert

Apr 22, 2022

Putin’s Unholy War

By
Knox Thames

Vladimir Putin's unholy war in Ukraine has sought to exploit centuries of shared Orthodox faith but the ongoing invasion has only served to expose the growing gulf separating modern Ukraine from Russia.


Civil Society


Conflict


UkraineAlert

Apr 21, 2022

Genocide in Ukraine: Putin just gave his tacit approval for more war crimes

By
Peter Dickinson

By bestowing military honors on Russian soldiers accused of war crimes against Ukraine civilians, Vladimir Putin is setting the stage for further atrocities and underlining the genocidal intentions behind his invasion of Ukraine.


Conflict


Disinformation


UkraineAlert

Apr 20, 2022

UN: Ukraine refugee crisis is Europe’s biggest since WWII

By
Julian Vierlinger

According to UN data, more than five million Ukrainians have now fled their homeland since the start of Russia's invasion on February 24, representing the biggest European refugee crisis since the Second World War.


Civil Society


Conflict


UkraineAlert

Apr 18, 2022

Putin’s Generation Z: Kremlin pro-war propaganda targets young Russians

By
Doug Klain

The wave of fanaticism unleashed by the invasion of Ukraine is creating a new generation of radicalized young Russians who embrace the toxic brand of militarism and extreme nationalism promoted by the Kremlin.


Conflict


Disinformation


UkraineAlert

Apr 17, 2022

How Putin’s Russia embraced fascism while preaching anti-fascism

By
Taras Kuzio

Vladimir Putin poses as an "anti-fascist" leader engaged in the noble task of “de-Nazifying” Ukraine, but in reality it is Putin's increasingly fascist Russia that is in urgent need of “de-Nazification,” writes Taras Kuzio.


Civil Society


Conflict


UkraineAlert

Apr 16, 2022

Never Again?

By
Victor Pinchuk

Ever since the Nazi Holocaust, German leaders have declared "never again," but they are now guilty of failing to prevent Russia from committing a new genocide in Ukraine, says Victor Pinchuk.


Conflict


Economy & Business


UkraineAlert

Apr 14, 2022

The world must not allow Putin to bankrupt Ukraine into surrender

By
Peter Dickinson

Russian war crimes in Ukraine have shocked the world but the systematic damage being done to the Ukrainian economy is also an important element of Putin's invasion that requires urgent international attention.


Conflict


Economy & Business

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

Apr 2, 2015

The IMF’s Very Tough Love for Ukraine

By Yuriy Gorodnichenko

As Kyiv Slashes Spending, the Economy’s Real Shrinkage This Year May Be 10, Not 6, Percent The International Monetary Fund last month threw what looks like a much-improved financial lifeline to Ukraine—and indeed, the new loan program is welcome help for a desperate need. But a check on the math of one prominent IMF realist […]

Ukraine

UkraineAlert

Mar 31, 2015

In Ukraine, the Real Fight is for Europe

By Stephen Blank

Putin’s War is Not Over Donbas, but a New Russian Empire According to Vladimir Putin, Crimea and Ukraine are where the spiritual sources of Russia’s nationhood lie. And he “always saw the Russians and Ukrainians as a single people. I still think this way now.” People observing the crisis triggered by Putin’s aggression against Ukraine […]

Russia Ukraine

UkraineAlert

Mar 31, 2015

Russia Plans Spring Offensive in Ukraine, Warns Ex-NATO Chief Wesley Clark

By Ashish Kumar Sen

Russian-backed separatists are planning a fresh offensive in eastern Ukraine that could come within a matter of months, retired Gen. Wesley Clark, a former NATO Supreme Allied Commander, warned March 30. “What is happening now is preparations for a renewed offensive from the east,” and this could take place following Orthodox Easter, on April 12, […]

NATO Russia

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