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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

Jul 19, 2018

Q&A: What Should Trump Read? A Remedial Russia Reading List

By Melinda Haring

On July 16, as US President Donald Trump met with Vladimir Putin in Helsinki, Trump revealed just how little he knows about modern Russia or its leader. While US intelligence agencies have said the Russians interfered in the 2016 presidential election, Trump shocked the world by siding with Putin, who denied everything. “I don’t see […]

Russia
Ukraine

UkraineAlert

Jul 18, 2018

Not a Good Day for Ukraine

By Josh Cohen

Ukraine tries to project a proud image of a Western country with enormous potential held back by Russia, which is absolutely true, but it’s also true that it often holds itself back.    Take yesterday as an example. It was not a good day for Ukraine. A peaceful demonstration in Kyiv meant to highlight the […]

Russia
Ukraine

UkraineAlert

Jul 17, 2018

“You Can’t Get Away with Something Like This,” Families of MH17 Victims Remind Russia

By Michael Bociurkiw

“It is very sad and it doesn’t get easier with each passing year…the roll call of the 298 names just leaves you speechless. But we will continue to fight, because you can’t get away with something like this.”

Politics & Diplomacy
Russia

UkraineAlert

Jul 17, 2018

Helsinki Was Bad, but It Could Have Been Far Worse

By Melinda Haring

There’s no dancing around it. Donald Trump got schooled in Helsinki. President Vladimir Putin put on a hell of a show. The masterfully prepared former spy buttered up the US president at every opportunity, and even tossed him a soccer ball from the just-completed World Cup that Russia hosted to lighten up the press conference. […]

Russia
Ukraine

UkraineAlert

Jul 17, 2018

Q&A: How Did Trump Do in Helsinki?

By Ashish Kumar Sen

US President Donald J. Trump on July 16 appeared to believe Russian President Vladimir Putin’s denials over the US intelligence community’s assessment that Russia meddled in the 2016 elections, saying he saw “no reason why” Moscow would have acted in that way. Speaking at a joint press conference following his first summit with Putin in […]

Russia
Ukraine

UkraineAlert

Jul 14, 2018

Why Is the International Media Still Repeating Kremlin Propaganda about Ukraine?

By Peter Dickinson

When two members of Croatia’s World Cup squad recorded a nine-second video dedicating their quarter final victory over Russia to Ukraine, they chose to accompany it with the patriotic slogan “Slava Ukraini” (“Glory to Ukraine”). As former Dynamo Kyiv players, they appear to have believed they were sending a somewhat cheeky but essentially harmless message […]

Russia
Ukraine

UkraineAlert

Jul 13, 2018

If Trump Gambles Away Crimea, What Does This Actually Mean?

By Mykola Vorobiov

On July 16, a historic summit between Presidents Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin will take place in Helsinki. Many have speculated as to what the Master of the Deal will offer the Russian strongman. No one knows. Kyiv is legitimately worried that Trump will give away Crimea, Ukraine’s Black Sea peninsula, that Russia illegally annexed […]

Russia
Ukraine

UkraineAlert

Jul 13, 2018

Why the Donbas Is So Vulnerable to Russian Propaganda

By Vera Zimmerman

When thousands of Ukrainian citizens and most journalists fled to safety, Stanislav Aseev, an aspiring young journalist from the Donbas decided to stay put. Surrounded by frequent shelling, rupturing grenades, flying rockets, worn by the psychological stress of death, destruction, and high unemployment, and bombarded by propaganda that shattered friendships and families, he put his […]

Russia
Ukraine

UkraineAlert

Jul 13, 2018

Stop Freaking Out. Trump Has Less Power Than Everyone Thinks.

By Melinda Haring

If one took the punditry seriously, it would be easy to conclude that the Western liberal order is being unmade before our very eyes. Some worried that US President Donald Trump would destroy the North Atlantic Treaty Organization this week. He didn’t. Instead, he reaffirmed his commitment to it. Yes, he undermined the credibility of […]

NATO
Russia

UkraineAlert

Jul 12, 2018

Why the Russian Fuss over “Fascist” Salute at World Cup Backfired

By Adrian Karatnycky

“Glory to Ukraine!” saluted Domagoj Vida in a video message last week to his Ukrainian fans following Croatia’s victory over host Russia in the quarter finals of the World Cup. Vida, a Croatian defender who had played for five years with Ukraine’s Dynamo Kyiv, was pumped up from a heady goal in a dramatic victory […]

Russia
Ukraine

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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

Feb 16, 2023

Rebuilding Ukraine: Private sector role can help counter corruption concerns

By Suriya Evans-Pritchard Jayanti

Recent corruption allegations have shaken international confidence in the Ukrainian authorities but Ukraine's vibrant private sector benefits from broadly positive perceptions and should play a leading role in rebuilding efforts.

Civil Society
Conflict

UkraineAlert

Feb 14, 2023

Russia’s new offensive will test the morale of Putin’s mobilized masses

By Peter Dickinson

Vladimir Putin's desperation to regain the military initiative in Ukraine is leading to suicidal tactics that are undermining morale among hundreds of thousands of recently mobilized Russian troops, writes Peter Dickinson.

Civil Society
Conflict

UkraineAlert

Feb 14, 2023

ECHR ruling confirms Russian invasion of Ukraine began in 2014

By Zakhar Tropin

A recent ECHR ruling recognizing Russian control over so-called separatist republics in eastern Ukraine since 2014 is an important step forward in the quest to hold Moscow accountable for aggression against Ukraine.

Conflict
Disinformation

UkraineAlert

Feb 14, 2023

The path to peace in Ukraine runs directly through Putin’s red lines

By Oleksiy Goncharenko

As Russia’s invasion of Ukraine approaches the one-year mark, the Western response is still being undermined by exaggerated fears of escalation and misplaced concerns over the dangers of “provoking Putin," writes Oleksiy Goncharenko.

Conflict
Disinformation

UkraineAlert

Feb 9, 2023

Is Putin’s Russia heading for collapse like its Czarist and Soviet predecessors?

By Taras Byk

Vladimir Putin's disastrous invasion of Ukraine is sparking debate over the possibility of a new Russian collapse. Could today's Russian Federation be facing the same fate as its Czarist and Soviet predecessors?

Central Asia
Civil Society

UkraineAlert

Feb 9, 2023

Vladimir Putin must not be allowed to bankrupt the Ukrainian breadbasket

By Andriy Vadaturskyy

Ukraine's strategically crucial agricultural sector has been hard hit by the full-scale Russian invasion of the country and desperately needs international support in order to survive in wartime conditions, writes Andriy Vadaturskyy.

Conflict
Economy & Business

UkraineAlert

Feb 9, 2023

Countering Russian threats to global financial security

By Benton Coblentz

Russia and its proxies have long exploited the rules-based global financial system for their personal gain and in service of Moscow’s geopolitical strategy, but the invasion of Ukraine has sparked calls for counter measures.

Conflict
Corruption

UkraineAlert

Feb 7, 2023

The Belarusian opposition can help defeat Putin in Ukraine

By Stephen Nix, Mark Dietzen

Belarus has played a key supporting role in Russia's invasion of Ukraine but the democratic Belarusian opposition recognizes that defeating Putin can lead to the downfall of their own dictator Alyaksandr Lukashenka.

Belarus
Conflict

UkraineAlert

Feb 6, 2023

Hero Ukrainian medic: “Russia will not stop until it is stopped”

By Peter Dickinson

Ukrainian military medic Yulia Paievska has a simple message for anyone who still believes in the possibility of a compromise peace with Putin’s Russia. “They will not stop until they are stopped,” she says.

Civil Society
Conflict

UkraineAlert

Feb 6, 2023

Ukrainians are united in rejection of any compromise with the Kremlin

By Mariia Zolkina

As Russia's invasion of Ukraine approaches the one-year mark, an overwhelming majority of Ukrainians have faith in their country's victory and reject the idea of a compromise peace with the Kremlin, writes Mariia Zolkina.

Conflict
Disinformation