Russia To Build More Access Roads To Kazakhstan, Mongolia, China & North Korea

The Russian President, Vladimir Putin has said that Russia is considering the issues of building access roads to the state border with Kazakhstan, Mongolia, China and North Korea. He was speaking at the opening ceremony of the M-12 Vostok (East) Highway.

Putin stated “We are going to continue proactively develop the Vostok route. It should be extended to Tyumen and linked with the upgraded backbone road network of Siberia and the Far East. Certainly, issues will be considered to construct motorways to the state border with Kazakhstan, Mongolia, China, and North Korea. This will significantly increase our transit capabilities. The route will be incorporated into the international transport architecture and become an important, competitive and logistical artery.”

The Federal Motorway М12 is in the European part of Russia, running between the M7 and M5 highways, running between Moscow to Tyumen. Construction cost around ₽612 billion (US$7.8 billion). The M12’s total length is 1,600 km, although extending it further east will add considerably more.

There have been recent developments at the North Korean end, with Russian SOE Rosgranstroy, which handles border and customs control at checkpoints and crossings, selecting the winner of the tender to supply and install a complex of modular buildings at the future Khasan automobile checkpoint at the Russia-North Korea border.

The winning bid was for ₽2.83 billion (US$36 million). The winning bidder must complete the supply and installation work by January 29, 2027, under the terms and conditions of the contract. The federal budget will finance the work.

The Khasan checkpoint in Primorye will allow cars to cross the bridge between Russia and North Korea, and is designed to receive 300 vehicles and 2,850 individuals daily.

On April 30, 2025, Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin and North Korean Prime Minister Pak Thae Song launched the construction of an auto bridge across the Tumen border river. The bridge will be around 1 km long and have two traffic lanes. Construction is scheduled to be completed in a 18 months. It will augment the existing Friendship railway Bridge across the Tumannaya River, while adding the first cross-border highway.