Trade Routes in Flux: Experts Map Eurasia’s New Logistics Reality

The Russia Today media group recently convened an international roundtable in Moscow, bringing together logistics experts and policymakers to examine how sanctions, geopolitical tensions, and shifting supply chains are redrawing the map of trade between Asia and Europe.

Participants focused on the reorientation of key corridors, with Russia actively developing eastern and southern routes to diversify cargo flows. Natalia Zadonskaya, deputy head of the Directorate for International Transport Corridors, noted that Moscow is working to ease bottlenecks, including those caused by instability near the Strait of Hormuz. She highlighted a pilot project with Azerbaijan to recognize digital signatures, speeding cross-border paperwork.

Kazakhstan’s multi-vector logistics strategy was a central topic. Kazbek Maigeldinov of the China Researchers Association in Kazakhstan argued that his country’s geography demands it pursue several routes at once—from the Middle Corridor through Central Asia to China and Europe. “This isn’t just rhetoric,” he said. “It’s an operational necessity, and transit is both revenue and sovereignty.”

Sergei Lukonin from the Russian Academy of Sciences described China’s Belt and Road Initiative as more than infrastructure—it’s a tool for business expansion. “China watches these corridors closely and invests heavily, but for Beijing, logistics is a platform for outward economic growth,” he explained.

Lakshmi Buju, head of a Delhi-based economic think tank, outlined Mongolia’s role as a transit link via the Trans-Mongolian Railway, connecting Russia and China while exporting coal and copper. She sees potential for dry ports and intermodal terminals to boost capacity.

Wang Yiwei, director of European Studies at Renmin University in China, called for a systemic rethinking of global trade security. “We need a system where all countries benefit equally,” he said, urging reform of international payments and stronger protection for transport corridors.