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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

Jun 23, 2026

Putin vowed to demilitarize Ukraine. Instead, he created a major military power.

By Peter Dickinson

When Putin launched the full-scale invasion in 2022, he identified the “demilitarization” of Ukraine as one his two primary war aims. It is now clear that he has failed in the most spectacular fashion imaginable, writes Peter Dickinson.

Conflict Defense Policy

UkraineAlert

Jun 23, 2026

Ukraine tightens drone blockade of Russian-occupied Crimea

By Maksym Beznosiuk, William Dixon

Ukraine is currently conducting a mid-range drone strike campaign aiming to cut access to Russian-occupied Crimea and place the Black Sea peninsula under a logistics lockdown, write Maksym Beznosiuk and William Dixon.

Conflict Defense Technologies

UkraineAlert

Jun 23, 2026

Russia intensifies shadow war to undermine support for Ukraine

By Zahar Hryniv

Russia is waging an escalating shadow war against the West as the Kremlin attempts to intimidate Europe and deter further support for Ukraine, writes Zahar Hryniv.

Conflict Cybersecurity

UkraineAlert

Jun 18, 2026

Putin’s obsession with ‘denazifying’ Ukraine makes peace impossible

By Peter Dickinson

Putin’s obsession with “denazifying” Ukraine makes a mockery of efforts to portray the Russian invasion as a mere land grab and helps explain why there has been no meaningful progress toward peace despite more than a year of US-led efforts, writes Peter Dickinson.

Conflict Disinformation

UkraineAlert

Jun 18, 2026

Ukrainian drones are cutting Russian logistics and reshaping the battlefield

By David Kirichenko

In recent months, Ukraine has dramatically expanded the use of mid-range drones to disrupt Russian logistics behind the front lines and shape the battlefield for future offensive operations, writes David Kirichenko.

Conflict Defense Industry

UkraineAlert

Jun 18, 2026

Ukraine begins EU membership talks amid skepticism over associate option

By Andreas Umland

Ukraine officially opened membership talks with the ‌European Union this week in a move hailed by Ukrainian officials as “a Rubicon” moment for the war-torn country. While this is welcome news for Kyiv, it remains unclear how long it could still take to actually join the EU, writes Andreas Umland.

Conflict Drones

UkraineAlert

Jun 16, 2026

Russia escalates war on Ukrainian heritage and national identity

By Mercedes Sapuppo

Russia this week bombed one of the most sacred religious sites in Ukraine, the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra, marking the latest escalation in a Kremlin campaign to target the symbols of Ukrainian heritage and national identity, writes Mercedes Sapuppo.

Civil Society Conflict

UkraineAlert

Jun 11, 2026

Putin can no longer shield ordinary Russians from the war he unleashed

By Maksym Beznosiuk, William Dixon

Ukraine’s recent drone strikes on St. Petersburg provided arguably the most visible indication to date that Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion is not going according to plan, write Maksym Beznosiuk and William Dixon.

Conflict Defense Technologies

UkraineAlert

Jun 9, 2026

Ukrainian civilians face new threat from Russia’s upgraded jet drones

By David Kirichenko

Russia has reportedly begun deploying a new generation of jet-powered strike drones against Ukrainian targets in recent weeks as the Kremlin seeks to counter the growing effectiveness of Ukraine’s interceptor drones, writes David Kirichenko.

Conflict Defense Industry

UkraineAlert

Jun 9, 2026

Countries across Russia’s former empire are reclaiming place names to assert identity

By Joseph Epstein

Ukraine's campaign to strip Soviet and Russian imperial place names from the country’s towns and cities is not a reaction to the current war so much as the leading edge of a region-wide rejection of Moscow's cartography, writes Joseph Epstein.

Central Asia Civil Society

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UkraineAlert

Oct 16, 2023

The state of Russia’s war on Ukraine as it nears 2024

By Mykola Bielieskov

The current fighting season is still far from over in Ukraine, but it is already clear that the war unleashed by Putin in February 2022 will continue into the coming year, writes Mykola Bielieskov.

Conflict Defense Industry

UkraineAlert

Oct 13, 2023

Ukraine’s neglected Danube region is a crucial front in the war with Russia

By Michael Druckman

Ukraine's Danube ports are at the heart of efforts to bypass Russia's Black Sea naval blockade but years of neglect have left the Bessarabia region unprepared to play a key wartime role, writes Michael Druckman.

Conflict Drones

UkraineAlert

Oct 12, 2023

The West must learn hard lessons from years of failed Russia policies

By Kira Rudik

If Russia is able to achieve even a partial victory in Ukraine, the consequences for global security would be catastrophic. Western leaders must escalate their support for Ukraine to prevent this outcome and make sure Putin’s invasion ends in decisive defeat, writes Kira Rudik.

Conflict Corruption

UkraineAlert

Oct 12, 2023

Russia’s Ukraine invasion highlights the need for fundamental UN reform

By Paul Niland

The full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine has highlighted the ineffectiveness of the current international security architecture and underlined the need for fundamental reform of the United Nations, writes Paul Niland.

Civil Society Conflict

UkraineAlert

Oct 10, 2023

Ukrainians fear becoming hostage to US political paralysis

By Peter Dickinson

The unprecedented removal of Kevin McCarthy as House speaker has thrust US politics into uncharted territory while also sparking alarm across the Atlantic as Ukrainians fear for the future of vital American military aid, writes Peter Dickinson.

Conflict Defense Policy

UkraineAlert

Oct 9, 2023

Russian imperialism shapes public support for the war against Ukraine

By Neringa Klumbytė

Modern Russia retains an imperialistic ideology that is fueling strong public support for the war in Ukraine amid deep-rooted perceptions of Ukrainians as misguided younger siblings in need of correction, writes Neringa Klumbytė.

Civil Society Conflict

UkraineAlert

Oct 5, 2023

Vladimir Putin is still convinced he can outlast the West in Ukraine

By Dennis Soltys

Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine has united the democratic world to a degree not seen in decades, but the Western response to the war continues to be hampered by excessive fear of provoking Putin, writes Dennis Soltys.

Conflict Defense Technologies

UkraineAlert

Oct 4, 2023

Putin’s fleet retreats: Ukraine is winning the Battle of the Black Sea

By Peter Dickinson

Putin was already struggling to account for his army’s evident inability to conquer a nation that he insists does not exist. He must now also explain how his once vaunted Black Sea Fleet is being defeated by a country without a navy, writes Peter Dickinson.

Conflict Defense Technologies

UkraineAlert

Oct 3, 2023

Mixed messaging from Moldova on energy sector reforms

By Suriya Evans-Pritchard Jayanti

Recent steps by the Moldovan authorities cast doubt on Chisinau’s commitment to energy market liberalization, escaping Russian energy dominance, and anti-corruption imperatives, writes Suriya Jayanti.

Conflict Corruption

UkraineAlert

Sep 30, 2023

Ukraine’s soccer stars help to keep Russia’s invasion in global spotlight

By Renat Zihanshyn, Oleksandra Gaidai

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy appointed soccer legend Andriy Shevchenko as an advisor on September 26 in recognition of the role played by Ukrainian footballers in keeping Ukraine's struggle against Russian aggression in the global spotlight.

Civil Society Conflict