For years, Khasan was little more than a very remote place on the edge of Russia. Less than 500 people live in the village in the country's far east, more than 5,600 miles (9,012 kilometers) from Moscow. But it's here that Russia shares a mere 10.5-mile border with North Korea — and Khasan is the only Russian settlement along that short stretch. Since 1959, the so-called Korean-Russian Friendship Railway Bridge has crossed the Tumen River here, serving as the only land connection between the two countries.
But in recent years, Russia and North Korea have been building a parallel road bridge just a few hundred yards away. The bridge is now nearing completion ahead of schedule, raising concerns in Kyiv that Russia could use it to secretly bring North Korean troops to the front lines in Ukraine.
Since the start of Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Moscow and Pyongyang haveimproved their ties. Both countries face Western sanctions and are diplomatically largely isolated. In June 2024, Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un signed a strategic partnership deal which in part focused on expanding military cooperation. That meant large-scale weapons shipments as well as the deployment of North Korean soldiers to support Russia's war in Ukraine. At the same time, both governments agreed to build the new road bridge.
