On July 3, Russia became the first country to recognise the Taliban-led government of Afghanistan since their return to power in August 2021. Russian Ambassador to Afghanistan Dimitri Zhirnov met the Taliban’s acting foreign minister, Mawlawi Amir Khan Muttaq, to formally announce Russia’s recognition of the ‘Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan’, marking a crucial moment in international diplomacy – one that could reshape global engagement with the Taliban administration. While several countries went with the idea of conditional engagement without full recognition, Moscow has taken a decisive step, marking its geopolitical pragmatism and regional security issues.
Historical Context: From Ban to Recognition
The history of Russia-Afghanistan relations is deeply complex and contradictory. The Soviet Union’s invasion of Afghanistan in 1979 created a long-drawn conflict, often referred to as the Soviet Union’s “Vietnam”, which ended in a humiliating withdrawal in 1989. During the Taliban’s first regime in 1996-2001, an anti-Taliban Northern alliance emerged, supported by Moscow and condemned the Taliban for giving safe havens to terror groups such as Al-Qaeda. Following this gesture of deep hostility, Russia declared the Taliban a terrorist organisation in 2003. In the aftermath of 9/11, President Vladimir Putin was among the first world leaders to support the United States’ call for a ‘Global War on Terror’. This provided Russia with international legitimacy to move its own agenda against counter-terrorism in the regions of Chechnya and Dagestan.
Era of Reconciliation
The emergence of Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP) in Afghanistan, coupled with a decline in the US military presence in Afghanistan, created a threat for the Kremlin, as Kabul will once again become the source of instability, exporting terrorism and narcotics across Central Asia and Russia itself. The Taliban has now become an instrumental opportunity for Russia to tackle the issue of ISKP and Narcotics. The regional geopolitics has shifted largely since the US withdrawal from Afghanistan in August 2021, following the geopolitical and economic interest Russia has been continuously engaging with the Taliban led government on various international forums. A substantial leap came in April 2025 when the Russian Supreme Court removed the Taliban from its “list of banned terrorist organisations”, a prerequisite move towards recognition.
Russian Interest in Recognition
Russia’s recognition of the Taliban is not ideologically driven, but rather a strategic calculus, with the departure of the US, Moscow found an opportunity to establish its influence in the power vacuum region. One of Russia’s primary objectives is regional stability. On March 23, 2024, an attack in Moscow’s Crocus City Hall killed 145 people. The links of the attack were traced to ISKP. In order to prevent Afghanistan from becoming a safe place for jihadist groups such as ISKP and to limit the spread of Islamic extremism, Moscow is engaging with Kabul on counter-terrorism. Recently, Russian President Putin even praised the Taliban as ” an ally in the fight against terrorism” and said they helped in curbing narcotics trafficking along Russia’s borders and in Central Asia.
Due to the geopolitical situation in Europe and economic sanctions, Russia is diversifying its relations and making friends in order to stand firm against the West. Russian involvement in a long war has also put strain on the Russian Economy. Given these conditions, Russia wants to build its economic ties with Afghanistan. In 2022, Russia was the first to sign an international economic deal with the Taliban, agreeing to supply oil, gas and wheat to Afghanistan. A Taliban delegation also attended Russia’s flagship economic forum in Saint Petersburg in 2022 and 2024.
Importance of Recognition for Afghanistan
Since the day when the Taliban took over in Afghanistan, a persistent question over formal recognition has remained. Witnessing the Taliban’s history, its affiliation to terror organisations and its stringent adherence to Sharia law creates an environment of suspicion among its neighbours. Along with its violation of human rights, especially of women and girls, it posed a denial of its recognition. However the global engagement with Afghanistan differs, on one hand western nations due to the Taliban’s restrictive internal policies following a conditional engagement, only providing humanitarian assistance without formal recognition, on the other hand regional powers such as Russia, China and Pakistan has more of it, due to the vacuum of power around the region, regional players seeing a geopolitical and economic interest in Afghanistan.
The formal recognition of Afghanistan may help the country to gain support from other regional countries such as China and Pakistan. Legal recognition will remove barriers to investment. It will open sectors like energy pipelines, enhance the regional trade route towards India and China, and rebuild infrastructure. In the absence of formal international recognition, investment has been a challenge for the Taliban administration. In May 2025, Afghanistan agreed to join the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), but China remains reluctant to invest. Hence, a formal recognition of the Taliban administration will open multiple avenues that can enhance its connectivity with other regional and global actors. Foreign aid has stopped since the takeover of the Taliban in Afghanistan, which was a major chunk of their GDP, creating problems for the common Afghanistanis. The recognition from Russia will help the Taliban Government open a new trade source to boost its economy.
Conclusion
Russia’s formal recognition of the Taliban-led government marks a notable geopolitical change based on strategic pragmatism rather than ideological alignment. Observing the current multipolar world, Moscow’s decision reflects its pursuit of regional stability, counter-terrorism cooperation and economic engagement, particularly its sanctions from the West and war pressure from Ukraine. The recognition serves Russia’s long-term interests in containing threats from ISKP and curbing narcotics trade from Afghanistan into Central Asia and Russian territory. For the Taliban led administration, this recognition brings dire diplomatic legitimacy and a hopeful future to border regional acceptance, especially from China, Pakistan and India. However, this move also draws global criticism to Russia for recognising a regime committed to the exploitation of women and girls’ rights with restrictive internal policies and a lack of inclusive governance. This move by Russia reveals the hard truth of the realist international approach of realpolitik and the security motive takes precedence over human rights.
References
- ALJAZEERA. (2025, July 3). Russia becomes first country to recognise Afghanistan’s Taliban government. Al Jazeera. Retrieved July 19, 2025, from https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/7/3/russia-becomes-first-country-to-recognise-afghanistans-taliban-government
- BBC. (2025, July 4). Russia the first to recognise Taliban government in Afghanistan. BBC. https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c78n4wely9do
- Doyle, K. (2024, March 23). Moscow concert hall attack: Why is ISIL targeting Russia? Al Jazeera. Retrieved July 19, 2025, from https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/3/23/moscow-concert-hall-attack-why-is-isil-targeting
- The Hindu. (2024, July 05). Putin says Taliban ‘our allies’ in fighting terrorism. The Hindu. https://www.thehindu.com/news/international/putin-says-taliban-our-allies-in-fighting-terrorism/article68369810.ece
- The Indian EXPRESS. (2025, July 19). Why has Russia formally recognised Afghanistan’s Taliban government? The Indian EXPRESS. https://indianexpress.com/article/explained/explained-global/russia-recognition-afghanistan-taliban-government-10134741/