Russian Deputy Prime Minister Marat Khusnullin said Moscow is studying the construction of a railway corridor to the Indian Ocean due to maritime logistics problems in the Bosphorus and the Strait of Hormuz. He told news agency TASS that alternative routes through Turkmenistan, Iran, Afghanistan, and Pakistan are being considered, adding that any access options to India are suitable.
Khusnullin also expressed no objections to building a tunnel under the Bering Strait between Chukotka and Alaska. He said modern tunneling equipment can lay 250 to 300 meters per month, making the construction technologically feasible if supported by an economic justification.
The minister noted that officials must consider whether the project makes economic sense before starting work. He added that a direct link to America would yield nothing without roads through Russian territory leading to it.
Bering Strait Proposal
The proposal for a tunnel or bridge across the Bering Strait was originally introduced by Kirill Dmitriev, special envoy to President Vladimir Putin for international economic cooperation. Dmitriev first raised the idea last autumn after a meeting between Putin and Donald Trump in Alaska, where Russians believed Trump agreed to force Ukraine to capitulate.
Dmitriev proposed naming the tunnel after Putin and Trump to connect undeveloped regions in both countries. He stated in June that implementation was about to begin, although authorities in the United States know nothing about the project.
