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The inauguration of the bridge took place via video conference connecting sites in the North Korean city of Rason and the Russian border town of Khasan, Russian state news agency TASS reported. Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin joined North Korean Premier Pak Thae Song in addressing participants at the event, which featured the first trucks adorned with national flags crossing the span. Mishustin hailed the project during the September 7, 2026 ceremony as marking an important milestone in the two countries’ strategic partnership, according to a Reuters dispatch from Moscow.
Mishustin told those gathered that construction of the bridge represented not merely an engineering project but “a new symbol of friendship” between Russia and North Korea. The Russian government said trucks would begin using the crossing immediately for cargo transport, with full operations including passenger traffic expected by the end of 2026. The one-kilometre, two-lane structure will connect to Russia’s federal road network and offer access to the major transport corridor running from Vladivostok to St Petersburg, Mishustin stated.
Prior to the new bridge’s completion, the only direct land connection between the neighbours was a rail bridge known as the Friendship Bridge, commissioned in 1959 following the Korean War, multiple news outlets including the Associated Press noted. Vehicles had previously crossed the border by means of wooden planks laid on that rail structure under a special arrangement, Reuters reported. The new road bridge was constructed nearby, providing a dedicated automobile route for the first time.
Construction on the project commenced in April 2025 after Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un agreed to the initiative during a summit in Pyongyang the previous year, Yonhap News Agency reported. The Korean Central News Agency said the bridge would ensure safe passage for various vehicles and personnel while offering a guarantee for building infrastructure to support economic cooperation. North Korea completed its portion on schedule while the Russian side experienced some delays before the joint opening, according to The Moscow Times.
The bridge bears the name of Yakov Novichenko, a Soviet officer credited with saving North Korea’s founding leader Kim Il Sung from a grenade attack in 1946, several reports including from Al Jazeera indicated. Pak Thae Song described the opening as a historical event that would revitalise multifaceted cooperation, including in human exchanges, tourism and commodity circulation, KCNA stated. Russian officials projected that the facility and its new border checkpoint could process up to 300 vehicles and more than 2,000 people daily once fully operational.
A report from the Russian Transport Ministry detailed that the crossing’s design includes foundations reaching depths of up to 45 metres on the North Korean side. The total cost of the project reached approximately 9 billion rubles, equivalent to about 104 million dollars, The Moscow Times cited government figures as showing. Officials from both sides expressed confidence that the link would spur development in trade, economic, scientific and cultural fields.
