Russia and North Korea on Monday inaugurated the first road bridge linking the two countries, as Pyongyang welcomed the opening on Tuesday of the new crossing designed to strengthen bilateral cooperation amid the ongoing war in Ukraine.
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The bridge spans the Tumen River, also known as the Tumannaya River, which forms part of the border between North Korea, China and Russia in the Far East.
Senior North Korean official Pak Thae Song hailed the completion of the bridge, describing it as an “important event that gives fresh momentum to overall bilateral cooperation,” according to North Korea’s state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).
Previously, transportation links between Russia and North Korea were limited to air and rail connections.
According to the Russian government, the one-kilometer bridge took nearly 16 months to build and “symbolizes the aspiration to strengthen friendly and good-neighborly relations” between the two allied countries.
The project, launched on April 30, 2025, also included construction of the Khasan border crossing, which can accommodate “300 vehicles and 2,325 people per day,” according to the same source.
Speaking by video link during the inauguration ceremony, Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin said relations between Russia and North Korea are currently experiencing an “unprecedented level of comprehensive strategic partnership.”
Pyongyang and Moscow have deepened their ties since 2022 and the start of Russia’s war in Ukraine.
North Korea has sent troops to Russia’s Kursk region to fight Ukrainian forces and has supplied Russia with equipment to support its war effort in Ukraine.
In return, the isolated country, which has also been affected by natural disasters, has received financial and food assistance, energy supplies and military technology from Moscow, according to analysts.
During the summer, Ukrainian human rights organization Truth Hounds said the bridge, which was then still under construction, could become a “direct artery” for transporting North Korean troops, construction workers and military officials to Russia, while enabling the movement of “Russian technology and resources” in the opposite direction.
In July, South Korea’s central bank estimated that North Korea’s gross domestic product grew by more than 3% in 2025, marking a third consecutive year of growth. It described economic cooperation between Moscow and Pyongyang as an “important driver.”
A bank official also noted that North Korea’s gross national income had been boosted by increased foreign-currency inflows linked to the deployment of troops to Russia.
