Russia – China Border Crossing (Pogranichny – Suifhene Border)

Hello everyone,

Planning a bike trip next month from Vladivostok (Eastern Russia) to France. Already been to Russia a few times these past 2 years so I'm not worried about getting in. I'm gonna fly with my bike there and enter with an e-visa (pretty easy to get for Europeans).

To go from Vladivostok to China, I'll have to cross the border through Pogranichny to arrive at Suifenhe.

My Russian e-visa says this : 'The unified e-visa is valid for the entry into and exit from the Russian Federation only through the following state border of the Russian Federation, the list of which is approved by the Government of the Russian Federation. […]

Railroad checkpoints : «Pogranichny»' , which is the checkpoint I'll go through.

Does anyone on this sub have done this trip, or is following someone on social medias that has done this crossing that I can contact?

I'm wondering if by 'Railroad checkpoint' they mean that I can only leave Russia by taking the train, or if I would be able to toss my bike at the back of a commercial truck, and cross with it? Or even with a touristic bus, or a taxi?

I'm afraid that if I would not be able to put my bike in the train (too big for exemple?), my only option would be to go back to Vladivostok and fly to China …

Thanks a lot!

P.S: Yes, I know about the French guy who crossed this specific checkpoint of Pogranichny last year and who got imprisoned. He was going the other way, so he was not already legally in Russia. Also, after the custom guards told him 2 times that he could not cross by bike, he decided to do it anyway a little bit further by biking on the railroad. Maybe not the smartest move to do in Russia.