Russia eyes rail link to India to avoid maritime chokepoints

New Delhi, Aug 19 (IANS) Russia is keen on exploring a strategic overland rail link to connect it with the Indian Ocean and India, with the initiative aiming to secure freight transport and bypass vulnerable maritime choke points like the Strait of Hormuz in the Persian Gulf and the Bosphorus Strait, which connects the Black Sea and the Mediterranean Sea.

The proposal, floated by Deputy Prime Minister Marat Khusnullin, was first reported by the Russian news agency Tass on Aug 6. Khusnullin said a railway route to the Indian Ocean “should also be explored”, warning that risks around the Bosphorus and Hormuz could require alternatives through Turkmenistan, Iran, Afghanistan, and Pakistan.

“Any options providing access to India are acceptable,” he said.

India has emerged as the world’s fastest-growing economy and imports over 85 per cent of its crude oil requirement. It has increased purchases of Russian oil amid the choking of the Strait of Hormuz after the Iran war. Russian crude comprised over 50 per cent of India’s oil imports during July this year as it was available at a reasonable price even as prices in the global market soared due to the Middle East conflict.

Russia’s proposal for a direct rail link to India through Central and South Asia remains exploratory, but is seen by experts as underlining the need by various countries to seek alternative trade corridors so that choke points such as the Strait of Hormuz, and the Bosphorus Strait do not disrupt supply chains and arrest economic growth.

The rail route to India would give Moscow an alternative route to reach markets in India and the wider Global South without facing major Western sanctions and shipping constraints it has been facing since it launched an attack on Ukraine in 2022.

The Bosphorus Strait, which links the Black Sea to the Mediterranean Sea, is controlled by Turkey, and this geopolitical situation also puts Russia’s trade at a disadvantage.

According to experts, because of the prevailing tensions in Afghanistan and Pakistan, any rail route to India via these two countries would not be free of risks.

–IANS

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