On 3–6 November, the Executive Director of the Independent Anti-Corruption Commission (NAKO) Olena Tregub and Senior Researcher Viktoriia Vyshnivska visited the Netherlands on an advocacy mission to strengthen sanctions against Russia and improve export control.
In The Hague, NAKO representatives displayed samples of neutralized Russian drones — Shahed-136/Geran-2 and Herbera — as well as foreign microelectronics found in various types of Russian weapons. The exhibits vividly demonstrated the scale of sanctions evasion and the use of Western technologies in Russia’s military equipment.
“Military personnel, officials, diplomats, customs officers, and regulators came by the hundreds — to see the weapons that kill Ukrainians every day and to discuss how Russia threatens Europe, wages hybrid war, and why the West must act faster to support Ukraine and strengthen sanctions. Many people — even defence professionals — said that seeing these ‘tools of death’ in person was a deeply emotional experience,” said NAKO Executive Director Olena Tregub.
On 3 November, the exhibition at Schiphol Airport in The Hague was presented to Dutch Foreign Minister David van Weel and State Secretaries Aukje de Vries and Eugène Heijnen.
On 5 November, the NAKO exhibition became part of an export control seminar for local manufacturers organized by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, attended by over 300 participants. During the event, Viktoriia Vyshnivska presented NAKO’s preliminary research findings on how Russia circumvents sanctions through shell companies in China and Hong Kong.
On 6 November, at the invitation of the Dutch Ministry of Defence, NAKO showcased the neutralized Russian drones at the “Purple Nectar X Innovation in Defence” exhibition. The stand attracted over 500 visitors, primarily defence professionals. During the same week, the Dutch Defence Ministry called on domestic defence companies to develop technologies to detect and neutralize drones.
The exhibition received wide coverage in the Dutch media.
“Events like this must be scaled up. When Europe sees the artifacts of war not on screens but in their own cities, policy begins to change before our eyes,” emphasized Olena Tregub.
NAKO expresses its gratitude to Vladyslav Vlasiuk, Presidential Envoy for Sanctions Policy, the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine, the Kyiv Scientific Research Institute of Forensic Expertise, the Embassy of Ukraine in the Netherlands, and the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs for their assistance in organizing the exhibition.