Donetsk leader calls for 'beneficial' ties with N Korea in occupied Ukraine

The head of Russian proxy forces in eastern Ukraine's Donetsk region has sent a message to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un calling for cooperation amid signs the North is considering sending labourers for restoration projects in Russian-occupied regions of Ukraine.

North Korea last month became one of the few nations in the world to recognise the independence of Donetsk and Luhansk, another Russian-backed separatist region in eastern Ukraine, prompting Kyiv to cut off diplomatic ties with Pyongyang.

There are indications North Korea is reviewing plans to send workers for restoration projects in those regions, which could help its economy but run