Russia-India trade route through Central Asia moves forward

TOKYO — Work on a long-planned shipping route connecting Russia with the Middle East and South Asia is moving forward as sanctions-hit Moscow seeks alternative markets for its products, creating a wide-ranging geopolitical ripple effects.

The 7,200-kilometer International North-South Transport Corridor will run from St. Petersburg in northwestern Russia to ports in southern Iran, and from there to Mumbai. This will provide a shipping route that bypasses Europe and is less than half as long as the current standard path through the…