Russia and North Korea are near finishing a bridge that may type the primary highway hyperlink ever constructed between them, amid issues the 2 more and more shut allies are creating infrastructure to spice up army cooperation within the Ukraine battle.
The bridge spans the Tumen River, between Khasan in Russia’s far east and Tumangang in North Korea, a distant, thinly populated stretch of borderland the place the river marks the ultimate few miles of the frontier earlier than it reaches the coast.
The crossing is now largely full. North Korea completed its aspect of the mission, together with customs and quarantine services, forward of a deliberate opening on 19 June, however Russia has fallen behind by itself aspect of the border, and no new opening date has been confirmed.
Russian and North Korean authorities have made no secret of the bridge mission, saying it’s supposed to increase commerce and tourism.
Nevertheless, a brand new investigation by Ukrainian human rights group Fact Hounds and shared with the Guardian suggests it’s supposed extra to offer a discreet army logistics hall than to spice up commerce.
Nazar Myhun, who led the open-source analysis at Fact Hounds, mentioned a key cause behind its conclusion was the truth that it’s a lot simpler to evade satellite tv for pc monitoring – a surveillance methodology utilized by the west to grasp Russian and North Korean actions – through the use of roads in contrast with a rail community.
The brand new crossing over the Tumen River runs alongside the Friendship Bridge, which is the one rail hyperlink between the 2 nations.
Russia and North Korea’s highway community is way larger than their rail community, he mentioned, making it tougher to look at in its entirety. Loading and unloading of vans can even happen way more shortly than for railcars, that are uncovered to satellite tv for pc passes for an extended time frame.
“The kind of railcar seen in a picture reveals an excellent deal concerning the cargo, and sure classes of products are transported in open railcars, which permits them to be recognized,” Myhun informed the Guardian.
“Vans, in contrast, virtually all the time look the identical in satellite tv for pc imagery.”
Highway cargo can be loaded wherever, versus trains, which depend on a handful of fastened rail hubs, Myhun mentioned.
Russian officers have offered the mission as a option to increase commerce and tourism. Andrey Nikitin, Russia’s transport minister, mentioned: “The opening of the brand new highway bridge will improve mutual commerce, optimise logistics, strengthen cultural ties, and rework border areas into dynamically growing financial hubs.”
North Korea’s state media information company, KCNA, has equally solid the bridge as a option to increase “journey of individuals, tourism and circulation of commodities” between the 2 nations.
Nevertheless, Fact Hounds argues that the bridge’s financial rationale is weak. The crossing is estimated to have value greater than $100m, versus bilateral commerce that was reportedly price simply $34m in 2024. Tourism from Russia into North Korea stays tightly managed and largely restricted to escorted excursions, with round 10,000 Russian guests in 2025. Pyongyang, the place most overseas vacationers go to, lies over 500km from the crossing.
As an alternative, the investigation concludes that the crossing is healthier understood as strategic infrastructure: a hall for shifting North Korean troops, building brigades and army officers into Russia, and for Russian expertise and sources to maneuver in the other way.
Myhun mentioned Fact Hounds displays Russia-North Korea cooperation intently as a result of it considers it “one of many key components affecting Russia’s energy on this battle” on Ukraine.
The deepening relationship has additionally made the two-way alternate of weapons and expertise between the 2 nations “simpler and fewer clear”, he mentioned, which additionally poses a risk to North Korea’s neighbours.
The Kremlin has been contacted concerning the claims made within the investigation however has but to reply.
A rising army alliance
The bridge over the Tumen River is about 1km lengthy and 7 metres vast, with two lanes, a part of a wider 4.7km crossing that features method roads. Satellite tv for pc imagery additionally reveals supporting infrastructure being constructed on the Russian aspect, together with a helicopter touchdown pad.
Nevertheless, the rail line is hobbled by a mismatch in rail gauge between Russia and North Korea, which means wheelsets have to be modified to permit trains to journey additional into both nation’s community, a limitation the brand new highway bridge doesn’t share.
Open-source researchers have beforehand relied on satellite tv for pc imagery of the rail crossing to observe suspected weapons transfers between the 2 nations.
Building of the bridge started after Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong-un signed a complete strategic partnership pact in June 2024, cementing army ties which have since seen North Korea present troops, artillery ammunition and ballistic missiles to help Russia’s battle in Ukraine.
It types a small a part of a wider army relationship. Greater than 14,000 North Korean troops have fought alongside Russian forces within the Kursk area, after Ukraine staged a shock counter-invasion in August 2024. Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy has now warned that Russia is making ready to obtain an extra 30,000 troopers. Moscow and Pyongyang have expanded cooperation on weapons, army expertise and reconstruction.
In 2023, Reuters reported that satellite tv for pc photographs confirmed an estimated 2,000 containers exported from the North Korean port of Rason to Russia, believed to have contained artillery shells and probably short-range missiles.
Kim has praised North Korean troopers who fought and died for Russia and unveiled housing for the households of these killed. At the very least 2,000 North Korean servicemen are believed to have died combating in Russia’s battle, with two badly wounded troopers taken prisoner.
