Trade with Asia 'lifeline' for sanction-hit Russia, says Oleg Deripaska

TOKYO -- Asian countries' trade with Russia since its invasion of Ukraine has been vital for its economic survival amid a barrage of Western sanctions, according to a billionaire oligarch considered close to President Vladimir Putin.

Moscow's continued ability to export goods to "countries that pursue their own interests," chiefly India and China, "was definitely a lifeline for [Russian] trade," metal magnate Oleg Deripaska told Nikkei Asia.