Russia removes the Taliban's terrorist designation as their connections grow

The majority of the Western world sees the Taliban as a terrorist organization, but one country has taken a significant step in the other direction: Russia's Supreme Court announced on April 17 that it had removed a ban on the Taliban. Russia had previously designated the Taliban as a terrorist group for over 20 years, and the removal of this designation is part of a continued softening of relations between the two parties.

The move isn't entirely unexpected, as Russian President Vladimir Putin has previously considered Afghanistan's ruling party friendly and was considering having the designation removed in 2024. But it marks a ramping up of warmth between Russia and an organization feared by most democracies.

What did Russia's Supreme Court say?

The court's ruling to rescind a legal ban on the Taliban allows the group to be "removed from Russia's list of terrorist organizations," said DW. The court's decision, which came at the request of the prosecutor general, was "based on a decree Putin had issued a year ago" to remove the terrorism designation.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

Russian law still states that Taliban members must be arrested if they enter Russia, but "no Taliban member has been detained on entering Russia since 2016," said DW. Russian media outlets had "continued to refer to the Taliban as a 'terrorist organization, banned in Russia,'" but stopped doing so in 2024.

Why did Russia remove the Taliban's terrorism designation?

It is likely because Putin and the Russians view a partnership with the Taliban-run Afghanistan as strategic. Removing the Taliban's terrorist designation "opens the way to establishing a full-fledged partnership with Kabul,” said Russia's Foreign Ministry in a statement. Russia "aims to build mutually beneficial ties with Afghanistan in all areas, including the fight against drugs and terrorism."

Russia has also claimed that it will abide by international law when it comes to dealing with the Taliban. The "decision to suspend the terrorist status of the Taliban movement does not change Russia's international obligations to adhere to the U.N. Security Council sanctions regime against individuals and legal entities associated with the Taliban," according to Russian state news agency TASS.

What happens now?

Russia hasn't officially recognized the Taliban-run Afghanistan government, but this "may lay the legal groundwork for expanded cooperation, investment, and potentially future recognition," said Radio Free Europe. Russia is "eager to strengthen its influence in Central Asia amid growing competition with the West and China's expanding footprint," and "Afghanistan has become a critical piece of the regional chessboard."

Ties "between Moscow and Afghanistan have grown following the U.S.' 2021 exit from the country," said Bloomberg, and Taliban delegations have previously met with Russian officials. Russia is also "one of the few countries to keep its diplomatic mission in Kabul open." Russian diplomats have recently worked with Taliban officials on matters of security, economics and mining projects.

The recent ramping up of relations marks a big change for Russia and Afghanistan; the two countries have long had a "gradual rapprochement" following a "turbulent history dating back to the Afghan Civil War of the 1990s," said Al Jazeera. But with the parties aligned, further conflict could break out, as "shared security interests — including the fight against ISIS' regional affiliate, ISKP — have drawn Russia and the Taliban closer."

Beyond this, Russia's decision marks a "diplomatic victory for the Taliban," said The Associated Press. The Taliban has also been working to spread its influence, as its delegates have "attended various forums hosted by Russia as Moscow has sought to position itself as a regional power broker."