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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

Mar 31, 2020

Zelenskyy resurrects his reformist credentials as coronavirus crisis looms

By Anders Åslund

March 30 was a big day for Ukraine with major changes in parliament that reversed the anti-reform backlash underway in the country since March 4 and provided President Zelenskyy with fresh political momentum as the coronavirus crisis escalates.

Coronavirus Democratic Transitions

UkraineAlert

Mar 31, 2020

Q&A: Where is President Zelenskyy leading Ukraine?

By Adair Appleton and Adrian Hoefer

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's surprise decision to dismiss his reformist government in early March raised fundamental questions over the future direction of the country. Atlantic Council experts explore what it could mean for Ukraine.

Democratic Transitions Ukraine

UkraineAlert

Mar 30, 2020

Two historic votes for Ukraine

By Iuliia Mendel

In an emergency session as the country grapples with the coronavirus crisis, Ukraine's parliament has voted for two bills that will open the way to new financing from the IMF and other international partners.

Democratic Transitions International Financial Institutions

UkraineAlert

Mar 30, 2020

Coronavirus must not distract the world from Russia’s war in Ukraine

By Ivanna Klympush-Tsintsadze

The coronavirus crisis is creating unprecedented challenges for the international community, but existing security threats like the Russian attack on Ukraine must not disappear from the diplomatic agenda, argues Ivanna Klympush-Tsintsadze.

Conflict Coronavirus

UkraineAlert

Mar 28, 2020

Time for Ukraine to exit Russia’s energy empire

By Bohdan Klid

Energy supplies have helped Russia exert political influence over Ukraine. With Russia's energy sector hit by short-term coronavirus woes and facing long-term decline, now is a good time for Ukraine to reduce dependency.

Geopolitics & Energy Security Russia

UkraineAlert

Mar 26, 2020

Russo-Ukrainian War: Putin must be held accountable

By Olena Zerkal

Russia is seeking to legitimize the Kremlin-created separatist republics in eastern Ukraine as a way of distancing itself from the ongoing conflict, but if Putin is not held accountable, other countries may share Ukraine's fate.

Conflict Russia

UkraineAlert

Mar 25, 2020

After coronavirus: how to get Ukraine working again

By Ilya Timtchenko

Ukraine is bracing for a major coronavirus economic downturn, but the country must also look to the post-pandemic future. Ilya Timtchenko offers some tips on how to get the Ukrainian economy working once again.

Coronavirus Economy & Business

UkraineAlert

Mar 24, 2020

Could coronavirus become Putin’s Chernobyl?

By Peter Dickinson

Official Russian coronavirus infection rates far lower than elsewhere in Europe, sparking accusations of a Kremlin cover-up. Could the pandemic become a new Chernobyl for Vladimir Putin?

Coronavirus Russia

UkraineAlert

Mar 23, 2020

Why Ukraine cannot risk recognizing Putin’s proxies

By Lisa Yasko

Many Ukrainians are alarmed by plans to create an Advisory Council together with representatives from Russian-occupied eastern Ukraine. Critics say the move will allow Russia to distance itself from the war.

Conflict Peacekeeping and Peacebuilding

UkraineAlert

Mar 23, 2020

Mr. and Mrs. Zelenskyy trip up on gender roles again

By Melinda Haring

Why does everything in the private sphere depend on Ukraine’s amazing women yet again?

Democratic Transitions 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

Nov 10, 2026

Ukraine’s new drone blitz cuts Russian oil refining capacity by 30 percent

By Peter Dickinson

Ukraine has renewed attacks on Putin's energy industry in recent days, conducting a series of powerful strikes that have reportedly cut Russian oil refining capacity by around 30 percent and sparked fuel shortages across the country, writes Peter Dickinson.

Conflict Defense Policy

UkraineAlert

Nov 10, 2026

Europe sees surge in suspected Russian hybrid warfare incidents

By Maksym Beznosiuk

Europe has witnessed a surge in suspected Russian hybrid warfare incidents in recent weeks. This is fueling concerns that Vladimir Putin is escalating his intimidation campaign against Ukraine’s partners, writes Maksym Beznosiuk.

Conflict Cybersecurity

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