Why Did Russia Remove the Taliban from the List of Terrorist Organizations?

Recently, the relationship between Russia and the Taliban has transformed, as Moscow sees potential for establishing more open relations that benefit both parties, despite the hostile stance that prevailed since 2003 when Moscow designated the group as a terrorist organization. This shift began in recent years and has recently manifested in increased understanding and cooperation with the Taliban.

Lifting the Ban:

Russia’s relationship with the Taliban has witnessed notable developments recently, which can be summarized as follows:

1. Moscow’s Removal of the Taliban from the List of Terrorist Organizations: On April 17, 2025, the Russian Supreme Court decided to remove the Taliban from the list of terrorist organizations in the country and lifted the ban on its activities. This decision came after more than two decades of Moscow classifying the group as a terrorist organization. The decision was based on a decree issued by Russian President Vladimir Putin in 2024, which allowed for the possibility of suspending the Taliban’s designation as a terrorist organization, paving the way for its removal from the list.

It is worth noting that there is currently no country that recognizes the Taliban government, which has held power in Kabul since August 2021, following a chaotic withdrawal of international forces led by the United States after nearly 20 years of presence. While Russia aligns with the international stance regarding the Taliban government, Moscow has shown significant indicators of restructuring its position towards the authorities in Kabul. In July 2024, President Putin declared that the Taliban had become a key ally of Moscow in the fight against terrorism.

2. Moscow’s Aspirations to Enhance Cooperation with the Taliban: The Russian Foreign Ministry announced that Moscow is currently seeking to strengthen mutually beneficial relations with Afghanistan in all areas, including counter-terrorism and enhancing commercial and investment cooperation with Kabul, especially given Afghanistan’s strategic position in future energy and infrastructure projects.

In this context, Russian President Special Envoy to Afghanistan, Zamir Kabulov, stated that the Russian court’s decision to lift the Taliban from the terrorist organization list aims to remove legal obstacles to full political and economic relations between the two countries.

3. The Taliban Government’s Welcome: The Afghan Foreign Ministry, led by the Taliban government, released a statement welcoming Russia’s decision to remove the group from the list of terrorist organizations, indicating that this step would represent a significant advancement in enhancing political and economic relations between the two countries.

Shared Motivations:

The current rapprochement between Russia and the Taliban reflects a series of shared motivations indicative of intertwined interests for both parties, which can be summarized as follows:

1. Cooperation in Counter-Terrorism: Russia sees significant importance in enhancing cooperation with the Taliban in counter-terrorism efforts, particularly amid security threats facing Moscow from armed groups based in various countries, including Afghanistan. In March 2024, Moscow experienced a terrorist attack on a concert hall, claimed by ISIS, while some U.S. reports revealed that the Afghan branch of ISIS (ISIS-Khorasan) was responsible for this attack.

In this context, some estimates indicate that the Taliban seeks to enhance cooperation with Russia to contain ISIS’s influence in Afghanistan, represented by its branch “ISIS-Khorasan”, a mutual goal for both the movement and Russia, especially after the group executed several terrorist attacks within Russia.

2. Taliban’s Efforts to End Its International Isolation: The Taliban aims to end its international isolation following its takeover of Afghanistan in 2021. The movement is conducting a diplomatic campaign to enhance its regional and international relations. The current rapprochement between Russia and the group aligns with the Taliban’s attempts to end its isolation and gain international legitimacy. The Taliban government believes that Russia’s removal of the group’s name from its national list of terrorist organizations might encourage several other countries to take similar steps, potentially leading to the lifting of international sanctions imposed on Afghanistan and the unlocking of its frozen assets.
3. Russian Economic Interests in Kabul: Russia’s decision to remove the Taliban from the list of terrorist organizations is linked to the mutual economic interests connecting Moscow and Kabul. In this regard, Russia was the first country to open a commercial representative office in Kabul after the Taliban took control in August 2021. Additionally, Russia has expressed interest in using Afghanistan as a transit hub for Russian gas headed to Southeast Asia. Russian economic interests in Afghanistan are also tied to Moscow’s desire to capitalize on strategically important minerals found in Kabul, which cannot be invested in without rapprochement with the Taliban. Russia also shows interest in ambitious infrastructure projects in Afghanistan, such as the “Turkmenistan–Afghanistan–Pakistan–India” gas pipeline and the cross-border railway connecting Uzbekistan and Pakistan.

Amid the Western sanctions imposed on Russia, Moscow is seeking to open up more to additional countries, with Afghanistan possibly becoming one of the alternatives. This is reflected in the significant increase in bilateral trade between the two countries during 2023, where trade volumes grew fivefold compared to the previous year, exceeding one billion dollars, with expectations of even greater increases in the near future.

4. Strengthening Russian Influence in Central Asia: As Russia aims to reinforce its influence in Central Asia, especially amid growing international competition in this vital region, it appears to regard Afghanistan as a key player in the regional geopolitical landscape. Moscow is seeking proactive steps toward the Taliban government to enhance cooperation and Russian presence there, particularly in light of growing Chinese dealings with the Taliban, especially infrastructure discussions and investments related to the Belt and Road Initiative. In recent months, there has also been a notable increase in communications between the Taliban and the United States, under the current U.S. presidency.
5. Filling the Geopolitical Vacuum in Afghanistan: Many Western reports expect that Russia’s current actions toward the Taliban are part of a broader Russian and Chinese foreign policy aimed at filling the geopolitical vacuum created by the West’s withdrawal from Afghanistan at the end of 2021. Moscow is likely looking to draw the Taliban into an anti-Western alliance, which aligns with Russian propaganda regarding the failure of the United States and the West in Afghanistan.

Important Implications:

Russia’s decision to remove the Taliban from the list of terrorist organizations reflects significant implications, which can be summarized as follows:

1. Notable Shifts in the Russian Stance: The recent Russian decision to lift the Taliban from the list of terrorist organizations indicates a marked shift in Moscow’s position toward the group. Previously, Russia had supported Chechen fighters financially and militarily against Russia during the Second Chechen War (1999-2009) and recognized the Chechen government led by Aslan Maskhadov. After the U.S.-led international coalition ousted the Taliban government, which had ruled most of Afghanistan from 1996 until the end of 2001, and following the deployment of the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) to support the new Afghan government, the Taliban sought support from Moscow, which it denied, subsequently classifying the group as a terrorist organization in 2003.

However, from 2015 onward, Russia began opening channels of communication with the Taliban. Despite classifying the group as a terrorist organization, Taliban representatives visited Moscow and St. Petersburg several times, most notably when a delegation from the Taliban attended the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum in 2022, despite Russian law mandating the arrest of any Taliban member entering Russia, with potential penalties of up to 20 years in prison for engaging in terrorist activities. In 2024, President Vladimir Putin signed the decree that paved the way for the Taliban’s removal from the list of terrorist organizations.

2. Lifting the Ban Does Not Imply Recognition of the Taliban Government: Although Moscow’s decision to suspend the ban on Taliban activities and remove it from the list of terrorist organizations is significant, this decision does not imply that Russia recognizes the Taliban government, even though this possibility cannot be ruled out in the near future. However, the Taliban’s removal from the terrorist list may be sufficient in the foreseeable future to enhance relations between Moscow and the Taliban government in Kabul.
3. Allowing Russia to Enter Comprehensive Agreements with Afghanistan: The Russian Supreme Court’s decision will pave the way for comprehensive agreements between Russia and Afghanistan in the near future, as Russian criminal law includes strict penalties for cooperating with organizations classified as terrorist. While several contracts regarding the supply of oil products and wheat were signed between the two sides in 2024, these deals seem to have been made through commercial structures without the involvement of Taliban representatives. Therefore, it is expected that the Russian Supreme Court’s decision will lead to the establishment of more agreements between the two sides without any criminal repercussions.
4. Consistency with Current Regional Transformations Regarding the Taliban: Despite no state recognizing the Taliban government as a legitimate government in Afghanistan, the group has recently gained some indirect recognition. China accepted the ambassador designated by the Taliban government and became the first country to appoint a new ambassador to Kabul in 2023. Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan have also removed the Taliban from their national lists of terrorist organizations, a significant indicator of some regional shifts concerning the Taliban.

Potential Implications:

The Russian Supreme Court’s decision to remove the Taliban from the list of terrorist organizations could lead to several important implications regarding the future of relations between Moscow and the Taliban, which can be summarized as follows:

1. Strengthening Cooperation between Moscow and the Taliban Government: The decision to remove the Taliban from the list of terrorist organizations is expected to be a significant step in enhancing bilateral relations between Moscow and the Taliban government in the near future. The Taliban seeks to elevate its relationship with Russia to a new level of partnership and to ease visa restrictions. Economically, it is anticipated that Russian investments in Afghanistan will increase in the coming period, as will trade exchanges, which has already been reflected in a 52% increase in Russian liquefied natural gas exports to Afghanistan during January and February of 2025, with expectations of further increases in supplies to Afghanistan in the years ahead.
2. Possible Russian Recognition of the Taliban Government: While Russia has not yet recognized the Taliban government, some estimates do not rule out that Moscow’s decision to remove the Taliban from the list of terrorist organizations may pave the way for expanding cooperation and potentially leading to Russian recognition of the Taliban government in the near future.

This perspective aligns with some German reports indicating that the recent Russian initiative reflects a kind of “gradual tactic” employed by the Kremlin to approach formal recognition of the Taliban government through small, incremental steps. Thus, the next step after the Taliban’s removal from the terrorist organization list is expected to be its formal recognition as a legitimate authority in Afghanistan.

3. Integrating Afghanistan into the Eurasian Space: In its efforts to enhance its geopolitical and economic presence in Central Asia, Russia may aim to leverage its existing alliances in the region, such as the “Collective Security Treaty Organization” and the “Eurasian Economic Union,” to integrate Afghanistan into the Eurasian space. This is indeed outlined in Russia’s foreign policy plan for 2023.

In this context, Afghanistan holds significant geostrategic and security importance for Russia, which may explain the current shift in the Kremlin’s policies toward the Taliban. Geopolitical and geoeconomic interests have driven Moscow to strengthen relations with the Taliban, which wields power in Kabul, to secure its various interests in Afghanistan and the broader regional context of Central Asia. The decision to remove the Taliban from Russia’s terrorist organization list is expected to enhance cooperation and partnership between Moscow and the Taliban government in the coming period, without ruling out the possibility of Russia recognizing the legitimacy of the Taliban government in the foreseeable future.