When Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, it did more than shatter the international order that has kept the world stable since World War II. Moscow is exporting weapons and expertise, forging a modern axis of evil that the West may soon face directly on the battlefield.
Today’s axis of evil is learning from one another, united in their effort to dismantle the world order that built America’s prosperity.
This isn’t just about Ukraine. It’s about a coalition of dictators who are watching, learning, and supporting each other.
The convergence among states that wish America harm is only accelerating. Recent events in Beijing made that clear even to Donald Trump. On Truth Social, he wrote: “Please give my warmest regards to Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong Un as you conspire against the United States of America.”
Some in MAGA may wonder how this affects America. The Pentagon’s new defense strategy places homeland security above countering China, but Russia’s war in Ukraine is more interconnected than they realize.
Marco Rubio is spearheading a new U.S. campaign to halt the flow of drugs, authorizing military strikes to destroy suspected smuggling boats, killing those on board. As the New York Times noted, Trump’s supporters and aides “see him as reasserting an updated version of the Monroe Doctrine.” If a conflict with Venezuela erupts, the U.S. will likely face Iranian-designed drones that Caracas already has.
That threat isn’t hypothetical. Rybar, one of the main pro-Kremlin Telegram channels, has even suggested delivering Russian Geran drones to Venezuela — arguing they could put American bases in the Caribbean, and under certain conditions, even the U.S. mainland — within range. (RELATED: While Trump Arms Ukraine, US Firms Arm Russia)
Iran also helped develop Shahed drones for Russia, which have been harassing the airspace of our NATO allies. “Now Russia produces Shahed drones domestically, and the latest ones we’ve shot down had 16 antennas, all Russian-made,” said Oleksandra Ustinova, a Ukrainian lawmaker from the Holos party. (RELATED: Russia’s Aerial Assault on Ukraine)
The danger is not isolated. According to Ukrainian intelligence, Russia is helping North Korea build Shahed-type “kamikaze” drones and supporting Pyongyang’s effort to produce new warships. North Korean soldiers are learning how to wage war in the era of drones. Moreover, Moscow reportedly supplied submarine reactor modules and other propulsion components to help North Korea build a nuclear-powered attack. (RELATED: Drones: We Aren’t Ready for the Next War)
In 2024, Russia also extended its reach to the Middle East. Moscow provided satellite targeting data to Yemen’s Houthi rebels, enabling strikes on commercial shipping in the Red Sea. This is a global playbook. Europe is one chapter. The Middle East is another. Asia will be next.
That is exactly why America cannot treat this as a regional problem. These drones are proliferating across the same network of states now working with Russia — Venezuela, Iran, North Korea, and China — the very axis of powers aligned against the West.
Deborah Fairlamb, founding partner of Ukraine-focused venture capital firm Green Flag Ventures, told me that “tactical and technological lessons are being learned and shared between Russia, China, and North Korea.” Chinese soldiers have already been captured in Ukraine, and Reuters has reported that Chinese officers were close to the frontline, studying lessons from the war.
North Korea now supplies roughly 40 percent of all munitions used by Russia. While Pyongyang gains battlefield experience, South Korea remains hesitant to provide lethal aid. The Biden administration and its European allies once showed the same reluctance to arm Ukraine with weapons systems that were urgently needed in the first years of the war.
Hesitation made Russia stronger. The West is now paying for that mistake. Now Europe is scrambling to send fighter jets to intercept cheap drones. The Institute for the Study of War noted, “Russia is likely attempting to gauge both Poland’s and NATO’s capabilities and reactions in the hopes of applying lessons learned to future conflict scenarios with the NATO alliance.”
Prime Minister Donald Tusk warned that Poland was at its “closest to open conflict since World War Two.” But what happens when they face a swarm of 800 or more drones, like the barrages Ukraine has endured?
Indeed, Chinese components are key to sustaining Russia’s drone industry and the Russia-China drone alliance is booming. In May, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said China had halted sales of Mavic drones to Ukraine and other European nations, even as shipments to Russia continued. “There are production lines on Russian territory where Chinese representatives are present,” he warned.
Ukrainian intelligence has also found that roughly 80 percent of the critical electronics used in Russian drones originate from China. Failure to act will not just leave the U.S. exposed in the Pacific but also empower Russia’s partners to copy the model and overwhelm American defenses with swarms of cheap, expendable munitions.
The dependence on China’s drone industry extends well beyond Moscow. A report from April 2025 revealed that U.S. defense startups are still reliant on Chinese-made parts, with nearly 90 percent of key components like airframes, batteries, and radios produced in China. Pentagon officials have warned that Beijing could shut down the Western drone industry “for a year” if it chose to.
The Russians, with the support of China, are scaling up their drone production. Vitaliy Goncharuk, former chairman of the Artificial Intelligence Committee of Ukraine, said, “The real competition today is in scaling — the ability to produce more. Unfortunately, Russia and its allies are executing this strategy more effectively.”
Speaking in Kyiv on September 13, U.S. Envoy Keith Kellogg said, “Ukraine seems now to be a world leader in defense technology,” and that the U.S. is “well behind.” Investing in Ukraine’s defense today is the only way to halt a rising alliance of dictators before their war machines grow stronger and turn fully against the West.
Evil does not grow in isolation, as history has shown time and again. Today’s axis of evil is learning from one another, united in their effort to dismantle the world order that built America’s prosperity. The longer Russia is allowed to wage war in Ukraine, the stronger this alliance becomes. If America wants to deter China tomorrow, it must help Ukraine win today.
David Kirichenko is an Associate Research Fellow at the Henry Jackson Society. His work on warfare has been featured in publications such as the Atlantic Council, the Center for European Policy Analysis, and the Modern Warfare Institute, among others. He can be found on X/Twitter @DVKirichenko.
READ MORE:
From Alaska to Ukraine: Russia’s Empire of Imagined Returns