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Russia’s Northern Sea Route Workaround Supplying Asian Buyers

Asia-bound Russian crude and fuel supplies are being rerouted as the US-Israeli war on Iran and disruptions in the straits of Hormuz and Bab al-Mandab choke off traditional crude flows from the Persian Gulf. Indeed, Russia increased oil and LNG shipments via the Northern Sea Route (NSR) and utilized shadow fleets to bypass chokepoints and fulfill Asian demand. Reuters reports that Russia’s oil exports through its NSR in 2026 have already exceeded last year’s by nearly 50%, with 20 million barrels shipped to Asia from the July to mid-October…