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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

Aug 20, 2026

As pressure mounts on Putin, Russia is escalating against Ukraine’s allies

By Peter Dickinson

With the Russian army struggling to advance in Ukraine and Ukrainian strikes increasing inside Russia, Putin is escalating his gray zone campaign against Kyiv's European allies in a bid to deprive Ukraine of vital support and rescue his faltering invasion, writes Peter Dickinson.

Conflict Drones

UkraineAlert

Aug 20, 2026

Zelenskyy’s recent Serbia visit was a win for Ukraine and the West

By Stephen Blank

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's recent visit to Serbia highlighted growing ties between Kyiv and Belgrade while also underlining wartime Ukraine's emergence as an important geopolitical player, writes Stephen Blank.

Conflict Elections

UkraineAlert

Aug 18, 2026

Odesa under attack: Russia is cutting Ukraine off from the Black Sea

By Michael Bociurkiw

Russia's current bombing strategy is not simply to punish Odesa. Moscow aims to make Ukraine's largest Black Sea port city functionally landlocked, writes Michael Bociurkiw.

Conflict Drones

UkraineAlert

Aug 18, 2026

Echoes of Odysseus in Ukraine’s ingenious approach to the art of war

By Brian Mefford

Christopher Nolan's new blockbuster film version of the Odyssey is shaped by timeless values of military ingenuity, righteous justice, and a longing for one’s homeland that offer ancient echoes of modern-day Ukraine’s fight against Russia’s invasion, writes Brian Mefford.

Conflict Defense Policy

UkraineAlert

Aug 14, 2026

Russian atrocities in Ukraine are escalating and demand urgent action

By Kristina Hook

When leaders like Russian President Vladimir Putin embrace an ideology of national group destruction, history offers little reason to believe they can be persuaded to abandon that objective, writes Kristina Hook.

Civil Society Conflict

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

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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.

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Content

UkraineAlert

Aug 22, 2023

Belarus dictator Lukashenka must face justice for role in Russia’s Ukraine war

By Katie LaRoque

It is time for a serious conversation on how to hold Belarusian dictator Alyaksandr Lukashenka accountable for his participation in Russia’s brutal full-scale invasion of Ukraine, writes Katie LaRoque.

Belarus Conflict

UkraineAlert

Aug 17, 2023

Ukraine’s state authorities must follow private sector in unlearning old habits

By Roman Waschuk

To achieve individual, business, and national goals of renewal, Ukrainians need their government to be just as nimble and adaptive as the country’s private sector, writes Ukraine's Business Ombudsman Roman Waschuk.

Conflict Corruption

UkraineAlert

Aug 17, 2023

Ukraine’s vibrant tech ecosystem is a secret weapon in the war with Russia

By Mykhailo Fedorov

Ukraine’s secret weapon in the war against Russia is a vibrant and sophisticated tech ecosystem including around 300,000 IT professionals and hundreds of defense tech startups, writes Mykhailo Fedorov.

Cybersecurity Defense Technologies

UkraineAlert

Aug 17, 2023

Putin must not be allowed to turn the Black Sea into a Russian lake

By Melinda Haring

Western countries must take urgent action to prevent Vladimir Putin from turning the Black Sea into a Russian lake, warns Melinda Haring.

Conflict European Union

UkraineAlert

Aug 15, 2023

Ukraine strikes back against Russia as world’s first drone war escalates

By Marcel Plichta

Recent drone attacks in Moscow and on Russian shipping in the Black Sea are an indication that Ukraine is becoming increasingly bold as it seeks to strike back in what is the world's first ever drone war, writes Marcel Plichta.

Conflict Defense Technologies

UkraineAlert

Aug 12, 2023

Winter is coming: Is Ukraine’s power grid ready for new Russian attacks?

By Suriya Evans-Pritchard Jayanti

Last winter, Russia launched a six-month bombing campaign to methodically destroy Ukraine's civilian energy infrastructure. With a new winter heating season now fast approaching, is Ukraine prepared for a repeat?

Conflict Energy Transitions

UkraineAlert

Aug 11, 2023

Why Putin’s Russia cannot accept its borders

By Glenn Chafetz, John Sipher

Vladimir Putin's attempts to justify the invasion of Ukraine as a just war to reunite historically Russian lands reflect the expansionist ideology at the heart of modern Russia's imperial identity, write Glenn Chafetz and John Sipher.

Conflict Disinformation

UkraineAlert

Aug 10, 2023

Russia accused of deliberately targeting journalists in Ukraine

By Mercedes Sapuppo

A series of Russian airstrikes on civilian targets known to be popular among international correspondents covering the invasion of Ukraine has sparked accusations that the Kremlin is deliberately targeting journalists, writes Mercedes Sapuppo.

Conflict Human Rights

UkraineAlert

Aug 10, 2023

New report highlights evidence of escalating Russian genocide in Ukraine

By Kristina Hook

A new international report has identified evidence that Russia's campaign of genocide in Ukraine is escalating as the full-scale invasion of the country approaches the one-and-a-half-year mark, writes Kristina Hook.

Conflict Disinformation

UkraineAlert

Aug 10, 2023

F-16 delays leave Ukraine exposed to deadly Russian air superiority

By Olivia Yanchik

A clear commitment to send Ukraine a fleet of F-16s would do much to repair the damage to Western credibility caused by earlier delays. Crucially, it could also save countless Ukrainian lives, writes Olivia Yanchik.

Conflict Defense Technologies