UkraineAlert

UkraineAlert

UkraineAlert is a comprehensive online publication that provides regular news and analysis on developments in Ukraine’s politics, economy, civil society, and culture. UkraineAlert sources analysis and commentary from a wide-array of thought-leaders, politicians, experts, and activists from Ukraine and the global community. UkraineAlert has become a major publication in Ukraine’s news landscape and has established itself not only through its quality of content but also significant partnerships with English, Ukrainian, and Russian-language media through the country.

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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

Russia’s escalating bombardment of Ukraine is not ‘retaliation’

UkraineAlert Sep 3, 2026

Putin cannot defeat NATO but he could divide and discredit the alliance

By Peter Dickinson

If Russian President Vladimir Putin decides to attack NATO, his goal will be to divide and discredit the alliance rather than actually defeating it, writes Peter Dickinson.
Conflict Defense Policy
Russia’s escalating bombardment of Ukraine is not ‘retaliation’

UkraineAlert Aug 27, 2026

Ukrainians are not superheroes with endless powers of resilience

By Lauren Van Metre, Elena Davlikanova

By celebrating Ukrainian resilience as an almost superhuman quality, the international community risks obscuring the much less glamorous reality that Ukrainians are actually ordinary people who have endured extraordinary violence for far too long, write Lauren Van Metre and Elena Davlikanova.
Civil Society Conflict
Russia’s escalating bombardment of Ukraine is not ‘retaliation’

UkraineAlert Aug 25, 2026

A cultural renaissance is reshaping national identity in wartime Ukraine

By Davis Richardson

Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine is fueling a defiant cultural outpouring that is redefining and strengthening Ukrainian national identity in ways that challenge centuries of Kremlin imperialism, writes Davis Richardson.
Civil Society Conflict

Latest analysis

UkraineAlert

Nov 5, 2026

Putin suffers Balkan setbacks as Russia struggles to retain influence

By Michael Getto

Russia’s recent setbacks in the Balkans are a reminder of the foreign policy challenges facing the Kremlin as the full-scale invasion of Ukraine approaches a sixth year with no end in sight, writes Michael Getto.

Conflict Elections

UkraineAlert

Nov 5, 2026

Last week’s brief Ukraine ceasefire did not stop Russian attacks on civilians

By Kristina Hook

A recent humanitarian ceasefire around the southern Ukrainian city of Oleshky made it possible to evacuate hundreds of residents, but Russian attacks on civilians elsewhere in Ukraine continue, writes Kristina Hook.

Civil Society Conflict

UkraineAlert

Nov 3, 2026

Europe must weigh rising Ukraine costs against higher price of Russian victory

By Peter Dickinson

If Russia succeeds in overrunning an underfunded and exhausted Ukraine, the consequences for Europe will be catastrophic and the price tag of stopping an emboldened Putin will dwarf the current cost of supporting Kyiv, writes Peter Dickinson.

Conflict Defense Policy

UkraineAlert

Nov 3, 2026

A strong defense industry may be Ukraine’s best security guarantee

By Leonid Baratz

Ukrainians have little faith in written guarantees and are well aware that nobody is going to fight Russia on their behalf. Instead, their most realistic security guarantee is a strong Ukrainian military backed by a powerful domestic defense industry, writes Leonid Baratz.

Conflict Defense Industry

UkraineAlert

Oct 29, 2026

Ukraine’s drone defenses debunk the myth of inevitable Russian victory

By Mykola Bielieskov

Ukraine’s emergence since 2022 as a drone superpower has made international headlines, but the role of drone-based air defenses on the battlefield has not yet received as much attention as it arguably deserves, writes Mykola Bielieskov.

Conflict Defense Industry

UkraineAlert

Oct 29, 2026

Putin’s quest to reclaim ‘historical Russian lands’ is a recipe for endless war

By Peter Dickinson

Russian President Vladimir Putin's insistence that Ukraine is "historically Russian land" reveals the extent of his imperial ambitions and represents a recipe for endless war, writes Peter Dickinson.

Conflict Disinformation

UkraineAlert

Oct 27, 2026

UN report: Russian attacks on Ukraine’s power grid are a ‘crime against humanity’

By Kateryna Odarchenko

Russia’s bombardment of Ukraine’s civilian power grid qualifies as a crime against humanity, according to a new report by the UN’s Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine, writes Kateryna Odarchenko.

Conflict Drones

UkraineAlert

Oct 27, 2026

European infrastructure is vulnerable as Putin escalates Russia’s hybrid war

By Maksym Beznosiuk

Putin is currently looking to exploit Europe’s vulnerabilities as he seeks ways to isolate Ukraine and cut off Kyiv’s European aid lifeline. Civilian infrastructure may be one of the continent’s weakest links, writes Maksym Beznosiuk.

Conflict Critical Infrastructure Policy

UkraineAlert

Oct 21, 2026

Ukrainians are not fighting for Zelenskyy. They are fighting for national survival.

By Peter Dickinson

Trump and Putin both seem to think that removing Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy would set the stage for a Kremlin-friendly peace deal, but most Ukrainians see the war as a fight for national survival that does not depend on any one man, writes Peter Dickinson.

Conflict Education

UkraineAlert

Oct 21, 2026

Moldova’s fight against Kremlin interference faces Gagauzia election test

By Laurențiu Pleșca, Will Kingston-Cox

Moldova’s democratic resilience faces a revealing litmus test on November 15, when autonomous Gagauzia elects a new governor and People’s Assembly amid concerns over Kremlin interference, write Laurențiu Pleșca and Will Kingston-Cox.

Conflict Democratic Transitions
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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
Russia’s escalating bombardment of Ukraine is not ‘retaliation’

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
Russia’s escalating bombardment of Ukraine is not ‘retaliation’

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
Russia’s escalating bombardment of Ukraine is not ‘retaliation’

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

Aug 13, 2026

Russia’s escalating bombardment of Ukraine is not ‘retaliation’

By Zahar Hryniv

Russia is attempting to portray the bombardment of Ukrainian cities and civilian infrastructure as "retaliation" for Ukraine's own efforts to defend itself against Putin's invasion. This "retaliation" narrative is dangerously misleading, writes Zahar Hryniv.

Conflict Defense Technologies

UkraineAlert

Aug 11, 2026

Western weakness is encouraging Putin to test NATO

By Peter Dickinson

As Moscow's hybrid war against NATO continues to escalate, the alliance's reluctance to impose any additional costs on the Kremlin will only only embolden Putin and fuel Russian perceptions of Western weakness, writes Peter Dickinson.

Conflict Drones

UkraineAlert

Aug 6, 2026

Ukraine cannot defeat Putin’s ballistic blitz by defensive measures alone

By Mykola Bielieskov

Putin is ramping up Russian ballistic missile production and clearly intends to bomb Ukraine into submission. If he is not stopped, the Ukrainian civilian population will pay a terrible price and Kyiv may be pushed toward capitulation, writes Mykola Bielieskov.

Defense Technologies European Union

UkraineAlert

Aug 6, 2026

We should not fear a post-Putin Russia

By Brian Mefford

Some believe a post-Putin Russia could become even more aggressive toward the West. However, past experience and current practicalities suggest that the next Russian ruler may be forced to seek a less hostile path, writes Brian Mefford.

Conflict European Union

UkraineAlert

Aug 4, 2026

Winter is coming: Ukraine warns of escalating Russian ballistic strikes

By Maksym Beznosiuk, Will Dixon

Ukrainian Energy Minister Denys Shmyhal has warned that Moscow will expand attacks on the country’s civilian population and critical infrastructure in the coming months as Putin seeks to finally break Ukraine’s resistance, write Maksym Beznosiuk and Will Dixon.

Conflict Defense Technologies

UkraineAlert

Aug 4, 2026

Ukrainian drones alone will not force Putin to the negotiating table

By Christopher Isajiw

Ukraine's escalating long-range drone strike campaign targeting military and industrial sites deep inside Russia is disrupting the Kremlin war machine but will not be enough to push Putin toward meaningful peace talks, writes Christopher Isajiw.

Defense Technologies Drones

UkraineAlert

Aug 3, 2026

As Ukraine regains the initiative from Russia, Europe must seize the moment

By Lesia Ogryzko

Ukraine’s recent progress offers a rare window of opportunity to increase the pressure on Putin and push the Russian leader toward credible peace talks to end Europe’s largest war since World War II, writes Lesia Ogryzko.

Conflict Defense Technologies

UkraineAlert

Jul 30, 2026

Putin’s pitiful naval parade highlights his inability to stop Ukrainian drones

By Peter Dickinson

Russian President Vladimir Putin has faced widespread ridicule following dramatically downgraded Navy Day celebrations that underlined his inability to secure Russian airspace against Ukrainian drones, writes Peter Dickinson.

Conflict Defense Technologies

UkraineAlert

Jul 30, 2026

Ukraine’s reconstruction: Advancing from solidarity to shared strategic interests

By Olga Usenko

The future success of Ukraine's reconstruction will increasingly depend on Kyiv’s ability to promote participation in the country’s recovery not only as a moral imperative, but also as a shared economic and security interest, writes Olga Usenko.

Conflict Economy & Business

UkraineAlert

Jul 28, 2026

Wartime Ukraine’s people power protests are Putin’s worst nightmare

By Peter Dickinson

Ukrainians have taken to the streets in recent weeks to protest the dismissal of Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov. The protests are a reminder of the vibrant democratic culture that provoked Putin's invasion, writes Peter Dickinson.

Civil Society Conflict
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