The train sighting came after Iran admitted it had supplied drones to Russia, although Islamic State claimed the shipments were made before the start of the war with Ukraine. Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said his country had sent a “small number” of drones to Russia months before the February 24 invasion. He denied Tehran was continuing to supply drones to Moscow and said the initial mission was used for Russia to monitor power plants and other civilian infrastructure. “This fuss made by some Western countries that Iran provided missiles and drones to Russia to help the war in Ukraine – the missile part is completely wrong,” the official IRNA news agency said. “The drone part is real and we provided Russia with a small number of drones months before the war in Ukraine.” A satellite image shows the Tumangang Friendship Bridge in North Korea-Russia.PBC/Handout via REUTERS The North Korean train was spotted on commercial satellite imagery crossing the Tumangan Friendship Bridge, the only land link between the two countries. It was the first seen in several years, according to a report by think tank 38 North, which monitors the authoritarian country. North Korea closed the bridge in February 2020 when it closed its borders at the start of the coronavirus pandemic. Friday morning at 10:24 am. local time, a set of three-car closed carriages was spotted on one of the tracks next to a freight yard, the think tank said. North Korea has already secretly supplied Russia with artillery shells, the White House announced on Wednesday. National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told CNN that Pyongyang provided Kremlin forces with “a significant number of artillery shells, disguising the true destination of arms shipments by trying to make them appear to be sent to countries in the Middle East or North Africa.” Meanwhile, Ukrainian forces were bracing for heavy fighting on Saturday as they continued to advance towards occupied Kherson. Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the evacuation of the strategic Black Sea port city. The train was spotted crossing the Tumangan Friendship Bridge, which was closed in 2020 when North Korea closed its border at the start of the COVID pandemic. Carl Court/Getty Images Putin called on residents living in dangerous areas to leave. At least 70,000 people have already moved out of the city – the only major urban center Moscow has held since the invasion began, the BBC reported.
