On 29 January 2026, the Independent Anti-Corruption Commission (NAKO) held a Defence Talks discussion titled “Russia’s War Network: Military-Political Enablers of Aggression Against Ukraine and the West.” During the event, the NAKO team presented a report of the same name.
The discussion featured speakers Olena Davlikanova, chief editor of the report; Anton Hanotsky, Asia-Pacific expert at the AdAstra Analytical Center; and Andriy Teteruk, veteran, former commander of the volunteer battalion Myrotvorets, and former member of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on National Security and Defence.
Olena Davlikanova described how cooperation between Russia, China, Iran, and North Korea has evolved. The report analyzes interactions among these authoritarian regimes in the context of Russia’s aggression against Ukraine across three periods: before 2014, 2014–2022, and after 2022. “We examined how weapons, technologies, and dual-use components were exchanged during these periods and how this influenced events on the battlefield. We also looked at Russia’s information warfare against the West,” Davlikanova explained.
Although the four countries do not form an official alliance like NATO, their cooperation should not be underestimated, Olena emphasized. In this network, Russia is the main weapons buyer. Iran supplies drones, North Korea provides artillery ammunition and missile systems, and China offers economic support and technological development.
The researcher also noted that joint military exercises between these authoritarian regimes have become regular and more intensive since 2014, with a significantly expanded geographic scope. Sanctions-evasion schemes are also evolving, with countries coordinating procurement, logistics, and financial networks to access Western technologies despite international pressure.
Anton Hanotsky highlighted China’s key role in maintaining the network. He also warned about Beijing supplying critical components and technologies to the Russian defense industry. According to him, the EU and the US should focus on sanctions targeting cooperation with Russia, political pressure, and reducing economic dependence on China. “Without China, the capabilities and resources of the ‘axis of authoritarianism’ would be much smaller,” Hanotsky said.
Andriy Teteruk discussed military defense strategies against authoritarian regimes. He stressed that negotiating with autocracies is futile—they see compromise as weakness and use talks merely to buy time. “Weakening Russia to the point where it cannot continue military aggression is a fundamental principle for Ukraine and for the European continent to move past the chaos and war stirred by authoritarian regimes,” Teteruk said.
Defence Talks are meetings organized by NAKO where Ukrainian officials, high-ranking public servants, civil society representatives, diplomats, and media discuss key trends and challenges in the security and defense sector.
The event was supported by the Prague Civil Society Centre.