Vladislav Grigoriev17:19, 17.04.25

Russia has been cooperating with the Taliban for several years.

Russia’s Supreme Court has lifted a ban on entry into the country of the Taliban, the ruling group in Afghanistan, which was designated a terrorist organization more than two decades ago, the Associated Press reports .

It is noted that the Taliban was added to the Russian list of terrorist organizations in 2003. After that, any contact with the Taliban became punishable in the Russian Federation.

However, Taliban delegations attended various forums hosted by the Russian Federation. The agency emphasized that Moscow sought to position itself as a regional mediator in this way.

Journalists recalled that in 2024, Russia passed a law according to which the official status of a terrorist organization can be suspended by a court. Moreover, recently, Russian officials have increasingly called for the restoration of ties with the Taliban, supposedly to “help stabilize the situation in Afghanistan.” Earlier, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan also excluded the Taliban from their lists of terrorist organizations.

South Asia analyst Michael Kugelman told reporters that Russia’s decision was not groundbreaking. He added that many countries around the world have not recognized the Taliban as a terrorist organization.

According to the analyst, this will be a confidence-building measure for Russia and pave the way for more active engagement with Afghanistan. Moscow will also be able to better protect its interests in the country.

The agency recalled that the Taliban seized power in Afghanistan in August 2021. They soon began to impose restrictions on women and young girls. In particular, women were banned from working in most jobs, and girls no longer have the opportunity to receive an education beyond the sixth grade.

In addition, the Taliban returned to a strict interpretation of Islamic law. They brought back public executions, for which they were isolated from the public arena, the journalists emphasized.

(c)UNIAN 2025