Russian Court To Decide On Removing Taliban From Terror List

Russia’s Prosecutor General’s Office has submitted a formal request to remove the Taliban from Russia’s federal list of “terrorist” groups. Russia’s Supreme Court announced they will review the request on April 17th.

This would make Russia the third country, after Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan to remove the group from its terrorist group designation, which they both did in 2024.

Russia’s State Duma passed a bill back in December for the Taliban be removed from the blacklist.

Russia initially placed the Taliban, who now govern Afghanistan as the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, on its national blacklist in 2003 due to the Taliban’s recognition and support of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria, the breakaway region of Chechnya that was removed from power in 2000. 

Despite having been on Russia’s national blacklist Russia has established diplomatic ties and has had ongoing dialogue with the government in Kabul. As well as keeping the Russian Embassy open there. 

Russia was one of the first countries to establish diplomatic ties with the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan after their return to power, when in April of 2022 Russia accepted a Taliban appointed charge d'affaires to take control of the Afghan Embassy in Moscow. 

Last October, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov would meet with the Foreign Minister of Afghanistan Amir Khan Muqatti in Moscow. The following month, Russian Secretary of the National Security Council, Sergey Shoigu, visited Afghanistan where he met with the top leader of the country, including Deputy Prime Minister Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar and Interior Minister and Deputy Leader of the Taliban Sirajuddin Haqqani.