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Russia weighs rail corridor to India to reduce energy supply risks
India imports close to 90.0% of its crude oil, and the proposal would add an alternative to shipping routes exposed to the Bosphorus and Strait of Hormuz.
Russia is exploring a direct rail link to India through Central and South Asia as a potential way to keep oil and other strategic goods moving as sanctions, war, and maritime chokepoints disrupt major energy routes, according to an Economy story from SCMP.
The idea was raised by Russian Deputy Prime Minister Marat Khusnullin in comments published by state news agency TASS on Aug. 6, when he said that a railway route toward the Indian Ocean “should also be explored.” Khusnullin tied the effort to the need for expanded transport options and long term financing for infrastructure construction.
He warned that risks around the Bosphorus and Hormuz could require alternatives, such as routes through Turkmenistan, Iran, Afghanistan, and Pakistan, although the rail plan remains exploratory.
For India, the proposal is framed less as an immediate solution than as a sign of how energy security is being reshaped by conflict. SCMP notes that India imports close to 90.0% of its crude oil and has become one of the biggest buyers of Russian barrels since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
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