Russia is seeking to leverage a global natural gas supply crunch to lure energy-starved South Asia into purchasing shipments from its US-sanctioned facilities, according to people familiar with the matter. Shipments from Qatar have come to a standstill, forcing customers in Bangladesh and India to look for more expensive alternatives. Bangladesh and India have also been forced to curb gas supply to the fertilizer sector due to the reduction in LNG deliveries. India typically takes a conservative approach to importing sanctioned oil and gas, and its government has previously said that it won’t take Russian LNG from blacklisted projects. China has so far been the only country to import the sanctioned Russian LNG via a network of shadow fleet vessels.

Source: Mint April 09, 2026 12:58 UTC