Russia's invasion of Ukraine has largely been a failure.
It's cost thousands of lives, tanked the Russian economy, exposed the Russian military as a paper tiger, spurred political unrest at home, and alienated the country abroad.
But it has been successful in one way...
It's shown that even a second- or third-rate power can upset the global order. If nothing else, it's been a demonstration of defiance - against the United States and its Western allies, and the rules they've set out and are desperately trying to enforce.
In that sense, Vladimir Putin is a role model for tin pot dictators who don't see things the way the West does.
Dictators around the world are watching Russia lash out, and it's giving them ideas.
This week, Kim Jong-Un fired dozens of ballistic missiles and more than 100 rounds of artillery into the ocean adjacent to South Korea, sending its neighbor's citizens scrambling to underground shelters.
North Korea has also been sending artillery shells to Russia on the sly to help support its invasion there.
And it conducted yet another intercontinental ballistic missile test. The ICBM test seems to have failed but it's more evidence of the country's determination to develop a missile capable of hitting the United States.
Furthermore, Kim has also been discussing the potential deployment of "tactical" nuclear weapons, mirroring similar threats from Putin.
Kim and his predecessors have always had a flair for the dramatic, but this is different. It's a clear escalation that's likely the result of unrest or paranoia within the regime.