Nikita Smagin
Carnegie Politika is a digital publication that features unmatched analysis and insight on Russia, Ukraine and the wider region. For nearly a decade, Carnegie Politika has published contributions from members of Carnegie’s global network of scholars and well-known outside contributors and has helped drive important strategic conversations and policy debates.
After several years of vacillation, Russia has become the first country in the world to officially recognize the Taliban government in Afghanistan. It’s more of a symbolic gesture than down to any trade or economic considerations. Following a series of recent setbacks for the Kremlin and its partners in the Middle East, Russia is trying to restore its image as a global power that determines the international agenda and is not afraid to set controversial precedents.
Russia has long been moving toward recognizing the Taliban government. Back in 2017, it initiated the “Moscow format” for coordinating approaches to the Afghan peace settlement, inviting both representatives of the then pro-Western government in Kabul and their opponents in the Taliban, as well as other countries in the region.
When Taliban militants triumphantly entered the Afghan capital in August 2021, Russia was already deemed eligible for special treatment. Its diplomatic mission was immediately provided with security, and Russian Ambassador Dmitry Zhirnov became the first foreign diplomat to meet with the new rulers of Afghanistan.
That same year, Russian President Vladimir Putin first acknowledged the possibility of dropping Russia’s classification of the Taliban as a terrorist organization. But it was only four years later, in April 2025, that Russia’s Supreme Court removed the Taliban from the list of terrorist organizations, followed by the official recognition earlier this month.
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