North Korea could help two breakaway republics in eastern Ukraine by sending workers to help with reconstruction, Russia’s ambassador to the DPRK has said, despite U.N. sanctions that forbid such activities.

Pyongyang recognized the Moscow-backed Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) and Luhansk People’s Republic (LPR) last week in a move that Kyiv swiftly condemned, leading to angry exchanges between the Ukrainian and DPRK foreign ministries.

Now, Russian Ambassador Alexander Matsegora says there could be a “lot of opportunities” for cooperation between North Korea and the Donbas republics, comments that some experts say could mark a turning point in the U.N. sanctions