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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

Oct 1, 2026

Putin aims to break Ukraine by terrorizing the civilian population

By Peter Dickinson

With the Russian army unable to defeat Ukraine on the battlefield, Putin is turning to terror tactics and is using ballistic missiles and jet drones in a bid to bomb Ukraine's civilian population into submission, writes Peter Dickinson.

Conflict Drones

UkraineAlert

Sep 30, 2026

Ukraine can play a key role enabling US energy exports to Europe

By Stephen Blank

As Russia expands the bombardment of Ukraine’s civilian infrastructure, changes are taking place in the country's energy sector with implications for the United States and the future shape of European gas markets, writes Stephen Blank.

Conflict European Union

UkraineAlert

Sep 29, 2026

Europe needs a new strategy for Russian gray zone aggression

By Maksym Beznosiuk, William Dixon

Europe needs a new counter-hybrid playbook, but an approach that focuses on coordinating responses after Russian attacks have already taken place is not an effective deterrent, write Maksym Beznosiuk and William Dixon.

Cybersecurity Defense Policy

UkraineAlert

Sep 29, 2026

Ukraine’s innovative robot offensive just reversed a year of Russian gains

By David Kirichenko

Russian President Vladimir Putin’s hopes of capturing eastern Ukraine’s Donbas region have been dealt a major blow in recent months by an innovative Ukrainian offensive that has reversed over a year of Russian territorial gains, writes David Kirichenko.

Conflict Defense Industry

UkraineAlert

Sep 29, 2026

Vladimir Putin only has two options in Ukraine: Total victory or endless war

By Peter Dickinson

US-led efforts to end the Russia-Ukraine War by offering the Kremlin limited territorial concessions reflect a fundamental misunderstanding of the imperial ambitions driving Putin's invasion, writes Peter Dickinson.

Conflict Disinformation

UkraineAlert

Sep 24, 2026

Ukraine’s defense tech sector must offer investors more than innovation

By Olga Usenko

Since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022, Ukraine has built one of the world’s most dynamic defense tech ecosystems under conditions few industries ever face. However, innovation alone will not be enough to win over potential investors, writes Olga Usenko.

Conflict Defense Industry

UkraineAlert

Sep 23, 2026

Putin’s Ukraine invasion has made Russia China’s junior partner

By Zahar Hryniv

Putin’s evident inability to secure Beijing’s backing for the Power of Siberia-2 pipeline is strengthening international perceptions that the invasion of Ukraine has reduced Russia to the status of China’s junior partner, writes Zahar Hryniv.

China Conflict

UkraineAlert

Sep 22, 2026

Ukrainians are braced for a brutal winter. Are the Russians also ready?

By Peter Dickinson

With Ukraine's air defenses running low, Russia is expected to escalate the bombardment of Ukrainian cities and civilian infrastructure ahead of the coming winter season in a bid to freeze the country into submission, writes Peter Dickinson.

Conflict Defense Technologies

UkraineAlert

Sep 17, 2026

Ukraine can do more to counter Russia’s illicit finance threat

By Matthew McGlynn

For more than four years, Ukraine has impressed global audiences with the country’s ability to defend itself against Russia on land, at sea, and in the air. Illicit finance is another important front in the fight against Russian aggression, writes Matthew McGlynn.

Conflict Cybersecurity

UkraineAlert

Sep 17, 2026

Putin is escalating against NATO but a Baltic incursion remains unlikely

By James Rice

The recent escalation in Russian gray zone aggression across Europe has sparked a lively debate over how far the Kremlin may be prepared to go, but a Russian attack on the Baltic states remains unlikely, writes James Rice.

Conflict European Union

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UkraineAlert

Feb 22, 2023

Superhumans Center: Symbol of Ukrainian defiance amid Russia’s war

By Andrey Stavnitser

Opening in the coming months, the Superhumans Center war trauma hospital in western Ukraine is a symbol of Ukrainian defiance as Russia's brutal invasion enters its second year, writes co-founder Andrey Stavnitser.

Civil Society Conflict

UkraineAlert

Feb 21, 2023

Putin could still win unless the West speeds up efforts to arm Ukraine

By Dennis Soltys

Ukraine's international partners are gradually providing the country with the weapons it needs to beat Russia, but excessive caution and continued delays could still allow Vladimir Putin to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat.

Conflict Defense Policy

UkraineAlert

Feb 21, 2023

US foreign policy: China is important but the top priority is stopping Russia

By Richard D. Hooker, Jr.

Members of the US foreign policy establishment are wrong to prioritize a "China First" perspective at a time when Putin's Russia is waging a major war of aggression in Ukraine, writes Richard D. Hooker, Jr.

China Conflict

UkraineAlert

Feb 20, 2023

‘You cannot outlast us’: Biden’s Kyiv visit sends strong message to Moscow

By Peter Dickinson

US President Joe Biden's bold surprise visit to wartime Kyiv sent a strong message to Moscow that time is not on Putin's side and Russia should not pin its hopes on a weakening of Western resolve to stand with Ukraine.

Conflict Freedom and Prosperity

UkraineAlert

Feb 16, 2023

Putin’s invasion shatters the myth of Russian-Ukrainian brotherhood

By Taras Kuzio

Vladimir Putin's genocidal invasion of Ukraine has shattered the myth of Russian-Ukrainian brotherhood and represents the point of no return in the relationship between the post-Soviet neighbors, writes Taras Kuzio.

Conflict Democratic Transitions

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