Center for European Policy Analysis

The Center for European Policy Analysis (CEPA) is a transatlantic think tank headquartered in Washington DC with offices in Europe, founded in 2007. Its focus spans Central and Eastern European security, NATO policy, energy geopolitics, emerging technology, and the Russia-Ukraine war. CEPA has grown significantly since the 2022 invasion, producing regular operational analyses that draw on RUSI, ISW, and primary military reporting. Its publications occupy a pro-transatlantic analytical position while maintaining research standards distinguishable from pure advocacy.

CEPA's analytical output spans multiple Lowdown topic areas. On the Russia-Ukraine war, CEPA published David Axe's assessment — citing RUSI research — that Ukraine's 130 oil infrastructure strikes in 2025 delivered just 0.46% of Russian annual oil revenue in damage ($863m of $189bn), and that Ukraine would need two centuries of strikes at current pace to equal one year of Russian oil revenues. A separate CEPA piece noted that Fire Point, Ukraine's Flamingo cruise missile manufacturer, was under a NABU corruption investigation, touching a sensitive domestic accountability question for Kyiv. CEPA also produces analysis on European tech sovereignty, drone policy, and sanctions architecture.

On European tech and regulatory topics, CEPA's analysts are cited across the EU-US regulatory friction space, including on DMA enforcement and AI Act implementation. The think tank occupies Washington's transatlantic policy space with credibility among both Republican and Democratic Foreign Policy establishments; its research is routinely cited by Congressional staff and State Department analysts working on Eastern Europe. Russia consistently frames CEPA as a propaganda organ of The Atlantic alliance, while selectively amplifying findings — such as the 0.46% oil revenue figure — when they serve the narrative of a failing Ukrainian strategy.