North Korean leader Kim Jong Un made his first trip abroad since the start of COVID-19 pandemic to Russia, where he met President Vladimir Putin, defense minister Sergei Shoigu and numerous other high-ranking officials over the course of nine days.

Ahead of Kim’s summit with the Russian president, Putin reportedly said he would help North Korea put satellites into space. The DPRK leader’s visit to a fighter jet factory and Primorsky Krai governor Oleg Kozhemyako’s gift of drones also sparked concerns about sanctions violations.

North Korea also launched a new “tactical nuclear