The creation of two puppet regimes in the Donbas region could secure North Korea another source of income for its nuclear weapons program, underscoring how Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is quickly upending the international order and eroding the DPRK sanctions regime.

In an interview with Russian media published Monday, Moscow’s Ambassador to the DPRK Alexander Matsegora said that there could be a “lot of opportunities” for cooperation between North Korea and the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) and Luhansk People’s Republic (LPR). The DPRK became the third country to recognize the DPR and LPR