Eastern Europe

Eastern Europe

After the implosion of the Soviet Union, fifteen former republics became independent states and began—in one form or another—the transition from the authoritarian economic and political regime. While the three Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania have completed a successful transition to open societies and market economies, the other states are either stuck on their progress path or headed off in an authoritarian direction.

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Europe in crisis

War in Ukraine

Experts from across the Atlantic Council are assessing the consequences of Russia’s February 2022 invasion, including what it means for Ukraine’s sovereignty, Europe’s security, and the United States’ leadership.

More on the war View UkraineAlert
Grieco on Chain Reaction: The air war over Ukraine

New Atlanticist Dec 4, 2024

A winning strategy to end Russia’s war against Ukraine

More than a dozen experts from the United States and Europe share their recommendations to the incoming Trump administration about how best to end Russia’s war against Ukraine.

Read More
Grieco on Chain Reaction: The air war over Ukraine

Russia Tomorrow Jan 8, 2025

Sanctioned kleptocracy: How Putin’s kremligarchs have survived the war—and even prospered

By Ilya Zaslavskiy

The latest report in the Atlantic Council’s Russia Tomorrow series explores how Russia’s kleptocratic networks infiltrated the West and measures the US and Europe can take to combat the malign influence of Russian kleptocracy around the globe.
Corruption Economy & Business
Grieco on Chain Reaction: The air war over Ukraine

UkraineAlert Jan 14, 2025

No peace without security: Ukraine needs guarantees against new Russian invasion

By Peter Dickinson

Ukraine is ready to make territorial concessions but insists that any peace deal must include credible long-term security guarantees to prevent a new Russian invasion, writes Peter Dickinson.

Conflict European Union

Events

Online Event Mon, January 20, 2025 • 4:00 pm ET

President Salome Zourabichvili on Georgian democracy and Russian influence

AN #ACFRONTPAGE EVENT—President Salome Zourabichvili joins to discuss the political landscape in Georgia and the threat of malign Russian influence.

Civil Society Democratic Transitions Elections Europe & Eurasia
Online Event Tue, June 25, 2024 • 7:00 am ET

Are Armenia and Azerbaijan on the verge of peace?
Conflict Peacekeeping and Peacebuilding Politics & Diplomacy Russia
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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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Content

In the News

Mar 25, 2022

Grieco on Chain Reaction: The air war over Ukraine

By Atlantic Council

On March 25, Kelly Grieco appeared as a guest on FPRI’s Chain Reaction podcast to discuss the battle for the skies over Ukraine. “I never would’ve expected for (the air war) to go this badly. In the air war, the Russians show deficits at every level: strategic, operational, and tactical. And it’s only getting worse, that’s the […]

Conflict Defense Technologies

In the News

Mar 25, 2022

Grieco on Airminded: Lessons learned from the first month of the air war

By Atlantic Council

On March 25, Kelly Grieco appeared as a guest on the Airminded podcast to discuss the air war over Ukraine. “I would not have predicted (the air war) would go this badly for the Russians, I don’t think anyone would have. This is almost on the order of 1940’s Battle of France: obviously the role is different, […]

Conflict Defense Technologies

Britain Debrief

Mar 25, 2022

#BritainDebrief – Can the West Airlift Ukrainian Refugees to Safety? A Debrief from Gerald Knaus

By Ben Judah

Senior Fellow Ben Judah interviews Gerald Knaus, Chair of the European Stability Initiative, on the feasibility of an airlift of Ukrainian refugees from Poland, Hungary, and Moldova to other parts of Europe and the United States to enable burden sharing.

Central Europe Conflict
Russian “evidence” that Ukraine intends to invade Crimea, including linguistic and cultural clues suggesting they were made in Russia. (Source: Telegram)

New Atlanticist

Mar 25, 2022

Russian War Report: Russia produces “evidence” claiming Ukraine will attack Crimea

By Digital Forensic Research Lab

A pro-Kremlin Telegram channel published suspect photos of alleged medals and certificates to reward Ukranian troops for recapturing Crimea.

Belarus Conflict

In the News

Mar 24, 2022

Slavin quoted in CGTN on the Russia-Ukraine conflict’s potential to impact Iran nuclear talks

By Atlantic Council

Belarus Crisis Management
Russian State Duma member Sergey Leonov speaks at a press conference in Moscow, March 22, 2022. (Source: DumaTV)

New Atlanticist

Mar 23, 2022

Russian War Report: Russian Duma members falsely claim Ukraine is creating ethnicity-targeting bioweapons

By Digital Forensic Research Lab

Members of the Russian Duma accused Ukraine and the US of creating bioweapons and researching "regional infections aimed at Russian regions."

Belarus Conflict

In the News

Mar 23, 2022

Grieco in the Washington Examiner: Biden aims to rally support for front-line states in series of high-stakes summits

By Atlantic Council

On March 23, Kelly Grieco was quoted in a Washington Examiner article on President Biden’s high-stakes summits in Brussels. “The response to the crisis could shift the administration’s thinking on America’s role in Europe, Grieco explained. ‘The argument that the United States leadership is a requirement, that we’re the indispensable nation and without us, the […]

Conflict Crisis Management

BelarusAlert

Mar 22, 2022

Belarusians are sabotaging plans to join Vladimir Putin’s Ukraine War

By Brian Whitmore

As Vladimir Putin pressures Belarus dictator Alyaksandr Lukashenka to join Russia's invasion of Ukraine, ordinary Belarusians are taking action to sabotage the war effort and prevent Russian troops from reaching Ukraine.

Belarus Conflict

In the News

Mar 22, 2022

Preble on Net Assessment: Russia’s war in Ukraine: how does this end?

By Atlantic Council

On March 22, Christopher Preble joined his co-hosts on the Net Assessment podcast to discuss how the war in Ukraine might end. They also discussed why Ukraine was fighting so well and Russia so poorly, and the democracies’ relative unanimity in opposing the war. “Why has Russia struggled so mightily? Why has Ukraine fought so […]

Conflict Eastern Europe

In the News

Mar 22, 2022

Grieco and Evans in DefenseNews: Biden should nudge Europeans to lead NATO

By Atlantic Council

On March 22, Kelly Grieco and Alec Evans published an op-ed in DefenseNews that advised President Biden to nudge European countries to lead NATO at this week’s summits in Brussels. “Though some have called for Biden to ‘lead from the front,’ a transatlantic relationship characterized by American dominance, and European dependence on U.S. military capabilities, is no longer […]

Conflict Crisis Management
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Experts

Staff

Iryna Adam

Research Associate

Digital Forensic Research Lab

Eastern Europe English

Fellow

Anca Agachi

Nonresident Fellow

Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security Transatlantic Security Initiative

Africa Conflict

Staff

Nika Aleksejeva

Resident Fellow, Baltics

Digital Forensic Research Lab

Belarus Disinformation

Fellow

Lukas Andriukaitis

Nonresident Fellow

Digital Forensic Research Lab

Disinformation Eastern Europe

Staff

Kiran Baez

Program Assistant

Atlantic Council Turkey Program

Central Asia Geopolitics & Energy Security

Fellow

Andrew Bernard

Nonresident Senior Fellow

Europe Center

NATO Europe & Eurasia
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Events

Public Event Mon, June 15, 2026 • 12:30 pm ET

How should the United States counter Russia and China’s hybrid warfare?
China East Asia Eastern Europe Europe & Eurasia