The train entered Russia from North Korea on Friday, two days after the United States said it had information that Pyongyang was secretly supplying Russia with artillery shells for its war in Ukraine, a Washington think tank said, citing images. received by commercial satellites.

Freight train in North KoreaPhoto: STR / AFP / Profimedia

Project 38 North, which monitors developments in North Korea, said it was the first time such rail traffic had been seen on the route in years, although Russia’s veterinary service said on Wednesday that the train had crossed the North Korean border carrying horses. .

“It is not possible to determine the purpose of the train from the images obtained, but the crossing comes amid reports of North Korea’s arms sales to Russia and general expectations of a resumption of trade between the two countries,” 38 North said. said

The think tank said the North closed the 800-meter Tumangang Bridge (Korea-Russia Friendship Bridge), the only land link between the two countries, in February 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic.

At 10:24 a.m. local time, a train of three closed cars was seen on the Korean side of the border, and at 1:10 a.m. local time, it appeared to be behind a locomotive in Russia, about 200 meters from the border, the report said. the end of the railway bridge.

At 2:29 p.m., a locomotive and three carriages were seen on the tracks at Hasan Station in Russia, about 2 km from the border, and three smaller covered carriages, or possibly flatbed containers, were parked alongside the newly arrived train on a nearby road. railway.

The White House said on Wednesday that Washington has information that Pyongyang is secretly supplying Russia with a “significant” amount of artillery shells for its war in Ukraine and that it is trying to hide the shipments through countries in the Middle East and North Africa.

In September, North Korea said it had never supplied Russia with weapons or ammunition and had no plans to do so.

On Wednesday, Russia and North Korea resumed rail service for the first time since the pandemic, sending 30 purebred gray Oryol trotter horses to North Korea, according to a statement from the Russian State Veterinary Service.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is known as an avid horse rider. In 2019, North Korean media showed him traveling through the snow in the mountains riding a white stallion. Russian customs data show that North Korea spent thousands of dollars on thoroughbred horses from Russia in previous years.