From Terrorists to Partners: Why Russia Is Embracing the Taliban

Russia once fought a devastating ten-year war in Afghanistan. The Soviet Union lost more than 15,000 soldiers, spent enormous resources, and ultimately failed to achieve its objectives. Today, however, Moscow is pursuing a very different policy. At the 2026 St. Petersburg International Economic Forum, Taliban representatives appeared alongside delegations from countries considered friendly to Russia. The Taliban flag was flying alongside the flags of other participants, while Russian officials openly discussed military-technical cooperation with Afghanistan’s Taliban government. In this episode of Eurasian Express, veteran journalist and geopolitical analyst Merhat Sharipzhan examines one of the most remarkable geopolitical reversals of the 21st century. The program traces the evolution of Russian-Taliban relations from the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979 to the collapse of the Soviet-backed government, the rise of the Taliban in the 1990s, the U.S.-led intervention after September 11, and the Taliban’s dramatic return to power in 2021. The analysis explains how Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine fundamentally altered Moscow’s foreign policy priorities and forced the Kremlin to seek new partners across the Global South, including governments and movements that were once viewed as hostile or dangerous. This episode places Russia’s Taliban policy within a broader international context, showing how the war in Ukraine has accelerated the emergence of a world in which former enemies increasingly become tactical partners, where geopolitical interests often outweigh ideology, and where regional powers seek stability through pragmatic engagement rather than political affinity. The central question remains: Is Russia’s cooperation with the Taliban a pragmatic necessity driven by security concerns and geopolitical realities? Or is it a dangerous gamble that could create new risks for Russia, Central Asia, and Afghanistan in the years ahead?