On March 31, the Supreme Court of Russia announcement that he had received a petition from the prosecutor Igor Krasnov seeking to lift the ban from the Taliban. The Supreme Court said it would hold a hearing concerning this petition on April 17. According to A law adopted by Russia Last year, the court had the power to suspend the official terrorist designation of any organization.
The Russian government has appointed Afghan Taliban as a terrorist organization in 2003, and since then all contact with the group has been punishable under Russian law. However, since the Taliban seized power in Afghanistan in 2021, Russia got closer to the group – to a big cry of the Moscow approach during the previous passage of the Taliban.
During the Taliban reign from 1996 to 2001, Russia, as well as its longtime Ally India, worked to end the group’s domination in Afghanistan. To this end, Russia supported the Northern Alliancealso known as united front. This little anti-taliban coalition was directed by the veteran of the commander of Mujahideen Ahmad Shah Massoud, an ethnic Tadjik nicknamed the “Panjshir lion”. The Northern Alliance controlled parts of northeast Afghanistan, in particular the areas of the Panjshir valley and around.
Once the Taliban regime fell in the middle of the American invasion after September 11, Russia research To establish positive labor relations with the Karzai administration. In addition, Russia aimed to integrate Afghanistan into regional executives, which included meetings of heads of state involving several countries, such as Russia, Pakistan, Tajikistan and Afghanistan. In addition, Afghanistan has acquired an observer status in the Shanghai cooperation organization – a group led by China and Russia of the largely Central Asian States – in 2012.
The Taliban’s victories in various regions of Afghanistan, combined with the inability of the Afghan government to effectively counter their progress, have considerably influenced Russia’s approach to the Taliban, even during the administration of President Ashraf Ghani. Taliban officials have claimed That their group has maintained important contacts with Russia since at least 2007, although these interactions only implied “moral and political support”. A senior Taliban official said at that time: “We had a common enemy. We needed support to get rid of the United States and its allies in Afghanistan, and Russia wanted all foreign troops to leave Afghanistan as quickly as possible. ”
For its part, Moscow recognized That he began to maintain contacts with the Taliban in 2015. This was confirmed by the special representative of Russia in Afghanistan, Zamir Kabulov, who noted that the two parties have shared information since then. According to Reuters, Moscow initially supported American and NATO forces in Afghanistan, but later became critical of their efforts. This change was due in part to concerns about the way in which war was managed and in part due to the deterioration of relations between Moscow and in the West, in particular following conflicts in Syria and the annexation of Crimea in 2014. In addition, there are allegations according to which the Taliban received weapons from Russia during their fight against the United States and their Afghans.
Since the return of the Taliban in power almost four years ago, Russia seems to strengthen its links with the group without officially recognizing it. In 2022, a delegation from the Taliban assisted The Saint Petersburg International Economic Forum in Moscow. Two years later, in 2024, a delegation led by Abdul Manan Omari, the Minister of Labor and Social Affairs of the Taliban, participated in the same forum.
In addition, during last year’s event, President Vladimir Putin was informed by his foreign ministries and justice that the Taliban could potentially be withdrawn from the list of terrorist organizations. Sergey Lavrov, the Russian Minister for Foreign Affairs, said that “this initiative reflects objective reality”.
In addition, the special Russian presidential envoy of Afghanistan, Zamir Kabulov, said The fact that the removal of the prohibited list group would allow Russia to decide to give official recognition to the group as a legitimate government in Afghanistan. “Without that, it will be premature to talk about recognition. Therefore, work on this issue continues,” said Kabulov. “All considerations have been reported to the main leaders of Russia. We are waiting for a decision. “
Despite the growing proximity, the relationship between the two was complicated after Attack of March 2024 In a hall complex near Moscow, killing at least 133 people and injuring 100. This attack was claimed by the Islamic State of the province of Khorasan (ISKP), a local Islamic State branch which is largely based in Afghanistan. The attack Complicated relations of the Taliban-Russians But has not fundamentally modified the trajectory, because the Taliban actively try to eradicate the ISKP (unlike other terrorist groups, which the regime was accused of tolerating).
Essentially, Moscow has adjusted to the group’s regime in Afghanistan. Since Russia has no alternatives in Afghanistan, Moscow is forced to provide support for the multilateral Fora group.
Over the past four years, trade relations between Kabul and Moscow have increased considerably, according to Taliban officials. The Russian Business Center in Afghanistan estimates that trade between Russia and Afghanistan is about 1 billion dollars, about five times higher than the commercial volume between the two countries in 2021. However, Alexei Overchuk, the Russian Deputy Prime Minister, estimated that the commercial figure was much lower, at around 560 million dollars. It is difficult to confirm these commercial figures, because a large part of the trade involves several border passages and is mainly regulated in cash, the Russian customs data being classified.
Russia is an important supplier of liquefied oil gas (LPG) in Afghanistan. According to Akhundzada Abdul Salam Jawad, spokesperson for the Ministry of Taliban in Industry and Trade, Afghanistan imported More than 275,000 tonnes of Russia LPG last year, totaling $ 132 million. In January and February 2025, Russian GPL exports to Afghanistan increased by 52%reaching 71,000 tonnes. With an annual demand estimated at 700,000 tonnes of LPG, traders provide considerable opportunities for an increase in Russian supplies in Afghanistan. Consequently, commercial volumes between the two countries should grow in the years to come.
Afghanistan is of geopolitical importance and significant security for Russia, regardless of the presence of the Taliban. Like many other countries, Russia is concerned about the threat posed by groups like ISKP operating in Afghanistan. In addition, Russia seeks to use Afghanistan as a transit route through its Central Asian neighbors to connect with India and Pakistan. Consequently, the geopolitical and geo-economic interests of Russia have led to a change in its policy towards the Taliban, who are the current de facto leaders of Afghanistan. If the Taliban are removed from the list of terrorists and officially recognized, it would further strengthen the relationship between Russia and Afghanistan.