North Korea-Russia road bridge over Tumen River opens, raising weapons transfer fears

North Korea and Russia have opened their first road bridge across the Tumen River, creating a land crossing capable of handling 300 vehicles a day — and raising concerns that it could serve as a covert route for military supplies and personnel.

Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin and North Korean Cabinet Premier Pak Thae-song held a video ceremony Monday (local time) to inaugurate the bridge, according to Reuters and ABC News. Trucks flying national flags crossed the 1-kilometer, two-lane span to mark the start of traffic.

The newly built customs facility is designed to handle up to 300 vehicles and 2,300 people per day, according to Russia's Interfax news agency.

Ukraine has expressed concern that the bridge could be used to transport weapons, ABC News reported. Russia's Moscow Times also noted that the two countries have secured an additional route for moving military cargo and personnel without attracting attention.

North Korea and Russia have deepened their military cooperation since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022. In 2024, they signed a mutual defense treaty obligating each side to provide military assistance if the other is attacked.

Until now, the only land link between the two countries was the Friendship Bridge, a rail crossing built in the 1950s. Since 1959, planks have been laid across it under a special arrangement to allow vehicles to cross. Air and rail connections were already in place, but a proper road link had been absent.

"I am convinced that the expansion of transport infrastructure near the border will give a powerful impetus to the further development of trade, economic, technology, scientific and cultural cooperation between Russia and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea," Mishustin said.

He described the two countries' relationship as being at "an unprecedentedly high level of comprehensive strategic partnership" and called the opening "a truly historic event."

The bridge is named after Soviet officer Yakov Novichenko, who survived a grenade thrown at Kim Il-sung at a Pyongyang public rally in 1946 by shielding the leader with his body, losing his right hand in the process. North Korea later awarded him its title of Hero of Labor.

Leading the Russian vehicle convoy at the opening ceremony was a 1980 Zaporozhets car that Novichenko drove during his lifetime, according to RT. His grandson, Nikolai Shcherbytsky, personally restored and drove the vehicle.

The full route, including access roads, stretches about 4.7 kilometers, with the bridge spanning 424 meters on the Russian side and 581 meters on the North Korean side. Construction cost 9 billion rubles ($104 million). Work began in April last year under an agreement reached during Vladimir Putin's visit to North Korea in 2024. North Korea completed its section ahead of a June 19 target deadline, but delays on the Russian side pushed the opening back by several months.