New Delhi: Russia has proposed exploring a railway route to the Indian Ocean and India to reduce dependence on strategically important maritime routes.
Russian Deputy Prime Minister Marat Khusnullin said alternative routes could help address risks associated with the two strategic waterways, including the Strait of Hormuz and the Bosphorus Strait.
According to Russia’s state news agency, Khusnullin said rail routes passing through Turkmenistan, Iran and Afghanistan could be explored to provide access to India.
The proposal comes amid the ongoing conflict in West Asia, which has disrupted shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.
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The proposed railway could have wider geopolitical and economic implications, as it may provide Russia with an alternative overland link towards the Indian Ocean through Central and South Asia.
Separately, China has largely been immune from the disruptions arising due to the closure of Strait of Hormuz after joint forces of US and Israel attack Iran. The after effect of the war has been borne by almost every country in the world.
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China’s strategy of leveraging transport connectivity to secure oil and energy imports from Central Asia and Iran is a cornerstone of its broader Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and its long-term energy security framework.
By building overland pipelines, rail networks, and cross-border corridors, Beijing aims to reduce its heavy reliance on vulnerable maritime chokepoints—such as the Strait of Malacca and the Strait of Hormuz—through which the vast majority of its seaborne oil traditionally travels.
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