Moscow/New Delhi: Russia is exploring alternative land-based connectivity to the Indian Ocean, including the possibility of developing rail links that could provide access to South Asia while reducing dependence on vulnerable maritime chokepoints such as the Bosphorus and Strait of Hormuz.
Russian Deputy Prime Minister Marat Khusnullin has previously described reaching the Indian Ocean through Eurasia as a strategic transport objective for Moscow. Russian statements on the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC) envisage a network combining railways, roads and maritime links rather than a single continuous railway line.
Why Russia Is Looking for Alternative Routes
The proposal assumes greater significance amid disruptions and geopolitical risks affecting major maritime trade routes.
The Bosphorus, controlled by Türkiye, provides the maritime connection between the Black Sea and the Mediterranean. Meanwhile, the Strait of Hormuz is a critical route for global energy supplies.
For Moscow, developing alternative routes towards the Indian Ocean could provide greater resilience for trade with India and other Asian markets, particularly if maritime routes face prolonged disruption.
Khusnullin has said Russia wants to reach the Indian Ocean through the Caspian region and Iran, with both road and rail infrastructure forming part of the broader strategy.
INSTC at the Centre of the Plan
At the heart of the strategy is the International North-South Transport Corridor, a multimodal network involving Russia, Iran and India.
The corridor is designed to move cargo between India and Russia through Iran, using a combination of ships, railways and roads. Russia, India and Iran signed the framework agreement for the INSTC in 2000.
The proposed network has multiple branches. The western route runs through Russia, Azerbaijan and Iran, while an eastern branch connects Russia with Central Asia and onward routes towards Iran. Russian officials have also discussed connectivity involving Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Afghanistan and Pakistan.
India Could Be a Major Beneficiary
For India, stronger north-south connectivity could provide an additional logistics option for accessing Russian and Central Asian markets.
The existing INSTC is intended to significantly reduce transit time compared with traditional shipping routes through the Suez Canal. The Russia–India–Iran framework is therefore viewed as an important alternative trade corridor between Eurasia and the Indian Ocean.
India is also pursuing greater diversification of its trade and energy routes. New Delhi has been working to strengthen connectivity through Chabahar Port in Iran, which provides India with access to Afghanistan and Central Asia while bypassing Pakistan.
Could Pakistan Become Part of the Route?
One of the more ambitious possibilities involves extending Central Asian connectivity through Afghanistan and Pakistan to reach the Arabian Sea and Indian Ocean.
However, such a route would face substantial geopolitical hurdles because of the historically difficult relationship between India and Pakistan.
A separate Central Asian rail initiative connecting Uzbekistan, Afghanistan and Pakistan has previously been proposed, potentially providing landlocked Central Asian states access to Pakistani ports.
For Russia, integrating such networks could create a broader Eurasian transport architecture rather than depending on one corridor.
Chabahar Offers Another Option
Another potential pathway is through Iran’s Chabahar region.
The Chabahar–Zahedan railway is intended to connect Iran’s Indian Ocean-facing port with the country’s wider rail network and ultimately improve connectivity with Afghanistan and Central Asia. The project is strategically important because Chabahar provides access to the Indian Ocean without requiring cargo to pass through the Strait of Hormuz.
India has also been seeking to revive and accelerate the Chabahar–Zahedan rail connection as part of its broader effort to diversify trade routes.
Russia Has Already Used the INSTC
The concept is not entirely theoretical. Russia and India have already moved cargo through the INSTC, demonstrating that multimodal connectivity between the two countries is operational.
The corridor, however, still faces infrastructure gaps, border-crossing delays, sanctions-related complications and the need for substantial investment in railways, ports and logistics facilities.
Russia has committed significant resources to improving the corridor, including support for the Rasht–Astara railway in Iran, a critical missing link in the western branch of the INSTC.
A New Eurasian Trade Architecture
The broader Russian strategy is therefore not simply about constructing a “Russia-to-India railway.” Rather, it involves creating a network of interconnected rail, road and maritime routes linking Russia with Central Asia, Iran and the Indian Ocean.
For India, such connectivity could strengthen access to Russian energy and commodities while opening faster routes to Eurasian markets.
For Russia, it offers a way to reduce dependence on traditional European-oriented trade routes and build stronger economic links with the Global South.
The biggest challenges, however, will be financing, infrastructure, sanctions, regional security and geopolitics. Any route passing through Afghanistan or Pakistan would require particularly complex diplomatic arrangements.
If successfully developed, the emerging network could transform the INSTC into one of Eurasia’s most important alternative trade corridors, giving Russia and India additional options at a time when disruptions to traditional maritime chokepoints are increasingly shaping global trade.