MOSCOW — Russia’s Supreme Court has officially lifted the Taliban’s designation as a terrorist organization, signaling a major step toward normalizing relations with Afghanistan’s current rulers. The move reflects Moscow’s evolving foreign policy, aimed at strengthening political and economic cooperation with the Taliban regime.
The decision, announced Thursday by Supreme Court Judge Oleg Nefedov, was made effective immediately. “The ban on the Taliban’s activities as a terrorist organization has been suspended,” Nefedov said, according to Russian state news agency TASS.
Afghanistan’s Taliban-led foreign ministry hailed the development as a major breakthrough. “This decision removes the final obstacle to deepening political and economic collaboration between Afghanistan and Russia,” said Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi during a meeting with Russian ambassador Dmitry Zhirnov in Kabul.
The Taliban, which seized control of Afghanistan in August 2021 following the chaotic US withdrawal, had been on Russia’s terrorist blacklist since 2003 due to past support for insurgents in Russia’s North Caucasus. However, the geopolitical shift since the Taliban’s return to power has prompted Moscow to reassess its stance.
High-level Taliban delegations have attended Russia’s economic forums in 2022 and 2024, and last year, senior Taliban officials, including the group’s top diplomat, met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Moscow. These engagements have laid the groundwork for increased trade and investment opportunities, with Russia exploring the use of Afghanistan as a gas transit hub to Southeast Asia.
Though the decision does not constitute official diplomatic recognition of the Taliban government, it eliminates legal hurdles for direct engagement and avoids diplomatic awkwardness during international meetings.
President Vladimir Putin has described the Taliban as allies in counterterrorism, particularly in the fight against Islamic State-Khorasan (IS-K), the group responsible for multiple deadly attacks in both Afghanistan and Russia, including the March 2024 Moscow concert hall massacre that killed 145 people.
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