Taliban seeks military gear from Russia after recognition
A reputed Russian newspaper has reported that the Afghan interim government has requested to purchase military gear and hardware from Russia.
Though some may view this move by Kabul as hasty or premature, it comes nearly a week after the Russian Federation officially recognized the Afghan government, becoming the first country to do so since the Taliban’s return to power in August 2021. While the recognition may have surprised some, considering the growing ties between Moscow and the Taliban, it was more a matter of when rather than if.
Russia’s relationship with the Taliban was once marked by deep hostility. During the 1990s, Moscow opposed the Taliban’s rise and backed the anti-Taliban Northern Alliance. In the early 2000s, Russia formally designated the Taliban as a terrorist organization, an official position that remained in place for over two decades. However, as geopolitical dynamics shifted, so too did Russia’s posture.
During the U.S.-led war in Afghanistan, particularly in the late 2010s, Russia’s stance toward the Taliban began to soften. This shift was driven by several factors: a desire for stability in Afghanistan, the intent to counterbalance U.S. influence in Kabul, and increasing concern over the rise of ISKP. Russia hosted multiple peace initiatives involving the Taliban, including the Moscow Format meetings.
Over time, Russia began to view the Taliban as a potential bulwark against ISKP, which remains a more pressing threat to Russian interests. In 2018, the former head of U.S. forces in Afghanistan, General John Nicholson, claimed that Russia was supplying arms to the Taliban, a charge Moscow denied. Still, Russia defended its contacts with the Taliban as necessary intelligence-sharing to combat ISKP.
In 2020, U.S. intelligence accused Russia of offering bounties to Taliban-linked fighters to target American and coalition forces. However, the allegations remained unverified, and Russia strongly rejected them.
Russia was one of the few countries to keep its embassy open when the Taliban took power in 2021. It was also among the first Western countries to maintain pragmatic engagement with the Taliban-led interim government, cooperating in areas like trade and regional connectivity.
In April this year, Russia removed the Taliban from its list of terrorist organizations, a move formalized by the Russian Supreme Court. Just days before officially recognizing the Taliban government, earlier this month, Russian Special Presidential Envoy to Afghanistan Zamir Kabulov, speaking on the sidelines of the Doha Working Group meetings, proposed that Russia should arm the Taliban in their fight against ISKP. He referred to the Taliban as “objective allies” in the fight against terrorism, emphasizing that they are battling ISKP “uncompromisingly and harshly.” Kabulov argued that providing the Taliban with weapons would bolster efforts to eliminate terrorist threats in Afghanistan.
ISKP poses a serious threat to Russia and its interests in the region. In late 2022, ISKP carried out a bombing at the Russian embassy in Kabul. In 2024, militants linked to ISKP launched a mass shooting and arson attack at the Crocus City Hall concert venue near Moscow, killing 145 people and injuring 551. It was the deadliest IS attack on European soil and the worst in Russia since the 2004 Beslan school siege. ISKP claimed responsibility.
According to the recent report by the Russian newspaper Nezavisimaya Gazeta, Mullah Yaqoob has expressed Kabul’s interest in acquiring Russian military equipment. With Russia taking the ISKP threat increasingly seriously, it appears likely that Moscow will support the Taliban with military hardware. However, it remains unclear what kind of equipment Russia is prepared to provide, and just how much it truly trusts its “objective ally.”
