Russia-North Korea Bridge Named After Soviet Officer Yakov Novichenko

The bridge connecting Russia and North Korea will be named after Yakov Novichenko, a Soviet officer and North Korean national hero, as announced by Russian Transport Minister Andrei Nikitin. Nikitin stated the initiative was supported and made the announcement during the Eastern Economic Forum. Novichenko saved North Korean leader Kim Il Sung from an assassination attempt in 1946 by shielding him from a grenade. The bridge project, launched in April 2026 by Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin, is a major Russia-North Korea infrastructure venture across the Tumen River. Novichenko's relatives will attend the bridge's opening ceremony.