China's LNG Imports From Russia's Sanctioned Arctic Project Rise via a Hidden Route

According to CNN, reported by Khabaronline on Friday, August 14, 2026 (23 Mordad 1405), satellite imagery shows US sanctioned tankers such as the Christophe de Margerie and Arctic Mulan transferring liquefied natural gas (LNG) cargoes from Russia's sanctioned Arctic LNG 2 project to floating storage units off Kamchatka, then switching off tracking systems to deliver the cargo to Beihai port in southern China.

The report said China's LNG imports from Russia rose about 28 percent in the first half of this calendar year, coinciding with disrupted tanker traffic in the Red Sea and the Strait of Hormuz amid the Middle East crisis. Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping have described the 3,500 mile route, dubbed the Polar Silk Road, as the safest alternative for global trade, while US and NATO officials have warned about growing Chinese commercial and military activity in the Arctic.