Why Russia Benefits from Tension in the Strait of Hormuz (opens in new tab)

For China, stability in the Strait of Hormuz is a strategic necessity. For Russia, the calculation often runs in the opposite direction. Moscow does not depend on oil shipments through the Gulf in the same way major Asian importers do. Instead, it is one of the world’s largest energy exporters. That difference fundamentally changes how Russia views instability in one of the planet’s most important energy corridors.