Russia’s Supreme Court has lifted a ban on Afghanistan’s ruling Taliban, a group that was designated a terrorist organisation more than two decades ago.
The move is being seen as a diplomatic victory for the group, who were put on Moscow’s list of terrorist organisations in 2003, making any contact with them punishable by law.
Parallel to this, Taliban delegations have attended various forums hosted by Russia as Moscow has sought to position itself as a regional power broker.
The court’s ruling, following a request by the Prosecutor General’s Office, comes after last year’s adoption of a law stipulating that the official designation as a terrorist organisation could be suspended by a court.
Russian officials have recently emphasised the need to engage with the Taliban to “help stabilise” Afghanistan.
In recent years, the Central Asian countries of Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan have also removed the Taliban from their lists of terrorist groups.
The Taliban seized power in Afghanistan in August 2021 as US and NATO troops were in the final weeks of withdrawing from the country after two decades of war.
The Taliban initially promised a more moderate rule than during their first stint in power from 1996 to 2001, but started to enforce strict restrictions on women and girls soon after the takeover.
Women are barred from most jobs and public places, including parks, baths and gyms, while girls are blocked from education beyond the sixth grade.
Earlier this year, the UN renewed its call for the Taliban to lift the bans.
The group’s decrees limiting the participation of girls and women have affected foreign aid to the country.
Measures like these have isolated the Taliban on the world stage, although their government has established diplomatic ties with countries including China and the United Arab Emirates.
The Taliban have also brought back their strict interpretation of Islamic law, including public executions.
Some members of the Taliban want more significant engagement with the international community and want to scrap harsher policies to attract more outside support.
In recent months, there has been increased contact between the Taliban and the US under President Donald Trump, mostly over prisoner exchanges and releases.
Ibraheem Bahiss, a senior analyst with the Crisis Group’s Asia Program, said the Taliban’s listing as a terrorist group was a legal impediment to trade and political ties with Kabul, and its lifting reflected Moscow’s desire to improve relations.
“However, beyond making it easier for individuals and businesses to engage with Afghanistan, I am not sure what other major benefit this will have,” he said.
South Asia analyst Michael Kugelman said the Russian move was not ground-breaking because many countries had never formally designated the Taliban as a terrorist organisation.
At the same time, he called the decision a “win-win” for bilateral relations.
For Russia, he said it would serve as a confidence-building measure, helping pave the way for more engagement and enabling Moscow to better protect its interests in Afghanistan, particularly concerns about anti-Russia terror groups like Islamic State-Khorasan.
“Meanwhile, for the Taliban, the court decision is a legitimacy-boosting outcome they can leverage to point to international acceptance of their rule,” Kugelman observed.
