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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

Sep 16, 2025

Ukraine’s skies are Europe’s first line of defense against Russian drones

By Alina Zubkovych

As NATO leaders respond to Russia’s recent drone incursion into Poland, they should recognize that Ukraine’s skies are now European first line of defense against Putin’s growing drone fleet, writes Alina Zubkovych.

Conflict
Defense Technologies

UkraineAlert

Sep 16, 2025

Only Ukraine can teach NATO how to combat Putin’s growing drone fleet

By David Kirichenko

NATO must urgently learn from Ukraine’s unique experience of Russian drone warfare as the alliance seeks to address the growing threats posed by Putin’s drone swarms, writes David Kirichenko.

Conflict
Defense Industry

UkraineAlert

Sep 11, 2025

China, India, and North Korea back Russia as changing global order takes shape

By Katherine Spencer

Support from China, India, and North Korea for Russia’s war in Ukraine will allow the killing to continue while undermining Trump’s efforts to pressure the Kremlin into ending the invasion, writes Katherine Spencer.

China
Conflict

UkraineAlert

Sep 11, 2025

Fighting corruption strengthens Ukraine in the war against Russia

By Matthew H. Murray

Ukraine’s efforts to combat corruption on the domestic front play a vital role in the country’s broader fight for national survival against Vladimir Putin’s resurgent Russian imperialism, writes Matthew H. Murray.

Civil Society
Conflict

UkraineAlert

Sep 11, 2025

Belarus hosts Russian war games as Putin’s drones probe Poland

By Hanna Liubakova

On September 12, Belarus and Russia will begin their largest joint military exercises since the start of Putin’s Ukraine invasion, just two days after at least nineteen Russian drones penetrated neighboring Polish airspace, writes Hanna Liubakova.

Belarus
Conflict

UkraineAlert

Sep 9, 2025

What is the Coalition of the Willing actually willing to do in Ukraine?

By Mykola Bielieskov

European troops in Ukraine could serve as a meaningful element within a broader deterrence package, but Coalition of the Willing leaders should focus on making the Ukrainian military strong enough to deter the Kremlin, writes Mykola Bielieskov.

Conflict
European Union

UkraineAlert

Sep 4, 2025

Ukrainian bombing campaign turns Russia’s sheer size into a weakness

By David Kirichenko 

For centuries, Russia’s sheer size has been its greatest asset. Ukraine now intends to transform this vastness into a weakness with a long-range bombing campaign targeting Putin’s economically vital but vulnerable energy industry, writes David Kirichenko.

Conflict
Drones

UkraineAlert

Sep 3, 2025

Europe’s best security guarantee against Russia is the Ukrainian army

By Elena Davlikanova, Yevhen Malik

With Europe militarily unprepared and deeply reluctant to confront the Kremlin, a strong Ukraine currently looks to be by far the most realistic deterrent against further Russian aggression, write Elena Davlikanova and Yevhenii Malik.

Conflict
Defense Policy

UkraineAlert

Sep 2, 2025

Putin’s failed summer offensive shatters the myth of inevitable Russian victory

By Peter Dickinson

The failure of Putin’s summer offensive should help to debunk the persistent myth of inevitable Russian victory and persuade Western leaders to increase their support for the Ukrainian war effort, writes Peter Dickinson.

Conflict
Defense Policy

UkraineAlert

Sep 2, 2025

Hungary has alternative energy options but chooses to rely on Russia

By Aura Sabadus

Ukraine’s recent strikes on the Kremlin’s Druzhba oil pipeline are not only an attack on Russia’s war economy. They are also a wake-up call for Hungarians highlighting the role being played by their country in the funding of Russia’s invasion, writes Aura Sabadus.

Conflict
Financial Sanctions and Economic Coercion

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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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UkraineAlert

May 3, 2023

Ukrainians are inspired by Finland’s heroic past and NATO present

By Andriy Yermak

Ukrainians are inspired by Finland's record of resisting Russian imperial aggression and encouraged by the country's recent accession to NATO, writes the head of Ukraine's Office of the President, Andriy Yermak.

Conflict
Freedom and Prosperity

UkraineAlert

May 2, 2023

How strong is Russian public support for the invasion of Ukraine?

By Sviatoslav Hnizdovskyi

The Kremlin has worked hard to create the impression of overwhelming public support for the invasion of Ukraine but it remains difficult to gauge true levels of pro-war sentiment in today's Russia, writes Sviatoslav Hnizdovskyi.

Civil Society
Conflict

UkraineAlert

Apr 28, 2023

Placing Russian nukes in Belarus could destabilize Putin’s last ally

By Olivia Yanchik

Vladimir Putin's decision to place nuclear weapons in Belarus will strengthen Russia's grip on the country but could also spark a new wave of opposition to Belarusian dictator Alyaksandr Lukashenka, writes Olivia Yanchik.

Belarus
Civil Society

UkraineAlert

Apr 27, 2023

Iranian and Syrian factors shape Israeli response to Russia’s Ukraine invasion

By Joseph Roche

Israel has sought to minimize its involvement in the international response to Vladimir Putin's Ukraine invasion, but deepening military cooperation between Russia and Iran may force a change in the Israeli position.

Conflict
Defense Technologies

UkraineAlert

Apr 26, 2023

Xi calls Zelenskyy but doubts remain over China’s peacemaker credentials

By Peter Dickinson

China’s Xi Jinping and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke for over an hour by phone on April 26 in what was the first conversation between the two leaders since the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine began more than fourteen months ago.

China
Conflict

UkraineAlert

Apr 25, 2023

Putin’s dreams of a new Russian Empire are unraveling in Ukraine

By Mark Temnycky

Putin saw the invasion of Ukraine as a key step toward rebuilding the Russian Empire. Instead, it has forced countries across the former Soviet Union to distance themselves from the Kremlin, writes Mark Temnycky.

Central Asia
Civil Society

UkraineAlert

Apr 25, 2023

Russia’s invasion highlights the need to invest more in Ukrainian studies

By Oleksandra Gaidai

The full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine has highlighted the need for greater international investment into Ukrainian studies but has also created huge challenges for Ukrainian academia, writes Oleksandra Gaidai.

Civil Society
Conflict

UkraineAlert

Apr 20, 2023

There can be no lasting peace with Russia until Ukraine liberates Crimea

By Mariia Zolkina

Some skeptics question the feasibility and wisdom of a military campaign to de-occupy Crimea, but no lasting peace with Putin's Russia will be possible until the Ukrainian peninsula is liberated, argues Mariia Zolkina.

Conflict
Defense Policy

UkraineAlert

Apr 20, 2023

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is also being fought in cyberspace

By Vera Mironova

While the war in Ukraine often resembles the trench warfare of the twentieth century, the battle for cyber dominance is highly innovative and offers insights into the future of international aggression, writes Vera Mironova.

Conflict
Cybersecurity

UkraineAlert

Apr 18, 2023

Russia’s Ukraine invasion is the latest stage in the unfinished Soviet collapse

By Richard Cashman

Vladimir Putin's full-scale invasion of Ukraine is best understood as the latest stage in the unfinished collapse of the Soviet Union and as part of Russia's historic retreat from empire, argues Richard Cashman.

Civil Society
Conflict