North Korea recognized Crimea as part of the Russia Federation in a new political atlas released by the country’s Scientific Encyclopedia publishing house, the Russia Embassy in the DPRK posted on social media on Thursday.

The map shows the territory with no border with Russia, with both countries colored identically.

“We noticed that the Crimea peninsula has already been painted in Russian colors,” the Russian embassy said in a translation by Sputnik news agency which hailed the move as the DPRK recognizing Russia’s sovereignty over the peninsula.

“As we explained in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the DPRK, the republic