RUSSIA OFFICIALLY REMOVES THE TALIBAN FROM ITS LIST OF DESIGNATED TERRORIST ORGANIZATIONS

[AbdulQadir7]

The Taliban's 2003 ban was lifted on April 17, 2025, when the Supreme Court of Russia formally withdrew them from its list of banned terrorist organizations, this historic ruling reflects Russia's changing stance toward the Taliban after their takeover of Afghanistan in August 2021 and represents a dramatic change in Moscow's policy toward the country's ruling party, while the fact that no nation formally recognizes the Taliban government, Russia has steadily stepped up its relations with the group because it sees it as an essential ally in the fight against regional terrorism and the stabilization of Afghanistan.

The Taliban’s designation as a terrorist organization in Russia dated back to 2003, when Moscow included the group on its federal list of banned entities due to their links to separatist movements in Russia’s North Caucasus region and their extremist ideology, but over the past several years, Russia has softened its stance, maintaining informal contacts with the Taliban since 2015 and hosting Taliban delegations at major economic forums in Moscow and Saint Petersburg. President Vladimir Putin has publicly described the Taliban as “allies in the fight against terrorism,” particularly in the joint effort against the Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISIS-K), which has carried out deadly attacks in both Afghanistan and Russia.

The Supreme Court’s ruling came following a request from Russia’s Prosecutor General, under a 2024 law allowing courts to suspend terrorist designations. The decision is largely symbolic but carries important diplomatic weight, enabling Russian officials to engage openly with Taliban representatives without legal constraints, it also aligns Russia with other regional powers such as Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, which have recently removed the Taliban from their terror lists, and China, which appointed an ambassador to Kabul in 2023 and has deepening economic ties with the Taliban-led government.

Russia has refrained from officially recognizing the Taliban government diplomatically in spite of this action, Russian authorities stress that the Taliban must abide with international criteria, such as establishing an inclusive administration and enhancing human rights, particularly for women and girls, in order to be recognized, one of the primary obstacles to wider international acceptability is the Taliban's stringent regulations regarding women's employment and education, the Taliban's human rights record is still being criticized by Western diplomats, who point out that girls are prohibited from attending high school and universities and that women's freedom of movement is severely restricted.

Moscow's choice is the result of practical factors, Afghanistan is regarded as an important participant in the dynamics of regional security and a vital transit route for energy exports to Southeast Asia, terrorist organizations active in Afghanistan and Central Asia continue to pose a threat to Russia, therefore collaboration with the Taliban is crucial to counter terrorism initiatives. For their part, the Taliban have vowed to fight ISIS-K in Afghanistan, the organization that carried out the March 2024 concert hall bombing in Moscow that claimed 145 lives.

 

[ghazi52]

Russia lifts Taliban ban after over 20 years to normalise ties with Afghanistan​

No country currently recognises the Taliban government that seized power in August 2021.

Reuters
April 17, 2025

An Afghan Taliban delegation in Moscow, Russia May 30, 2019. PHOTO: REUTERS

Russia on Thursday suspended its ban on the Taliban, which it had designated for more than two decades as a terrorist organisation, in a move that paves the way for Moscow to normalise ties with the leadership of Afghanistan.

No country currently recognises the Taliban government that seized power in August 2021 as US-led forces staged a chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan after 20 years of war. But Russia has been gradually building ties with the movement, which President Vladimir Putin said last year was now an ally in fighting terrorism.

The Taliban was outlawed by Russia as a terrorist movement in 2003. State media said the Supreme Court on Thursday lifted the ban with immediate effect.

Russia sees a need to work with the Taliban as it faces a major security threat from militant groups based in a string of countries from Afghanistan to the Middle East.

In March 2024, gunmen killed 145 people at a concert hall outside Moscow in an attack claimed by Islamic State. US officials said they had intelligence indicating it was the Afghan branch of the group, Islamic State Khorasan (ISIS-K), that was responsible.

The Taliban says it is working to wipe out the presence of Islamic State in Afghanistan.

Western diplomats say the movement’s path towards wider international recognition is stalled until it changes course on women’s rights.

The Taliban has closed high schools and universities to girls and women and placed restrictions on their movement without a male guardian. It says it respects women’s rights in line with its strict interpretation of Islamic law.