Ukraine has launched a mechanism for granting student permits to North Korean nationals, a government order shows, which an expert believes Kyiv won’t use to legalize the status of captured DPRK prisoners of war. 

Ukraine’s education ministry released Order No. 666 on April 21, creating a temporary commission charged with granting individual permissions to pursue higher education to citizens of North Korea, Russia, Iran and Belarus in 2026.

The commission is tasked with reviewing applications from nationals of the aforementioned states who do not have permanent residence permits in Ukraine and are seeking admission to educational and research institutions in