July 08, 2025

Welcome to Moscow, Taliban!


Welcome to Moscow, Taliban!
The Taliban's new flag for Afghanistan, flying in Moscow. TASS, Telegram.

On July 3, Russia became the first country in the world to recognize the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, legitimizing the Taliban, its former enemy. Afghanistan's former black, red, and green flag in its Moscow embassy was replaced with the militant group's banner.

The Russian ambassador in Kabul, Dmitry Zhirnov, said Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov suggested to President Vladimir Putin that Russia recognize the Taliban's sovereignty of Afghanistan. Zhirnov said the decision stems from Moscow's "sincere desire to establish a full-fledged partnership" with Kabul.

Russia has had a hot-and-cold relationship with the Taliban. The militant group emerged from the Mujahideen movement, which fought against Moscow's invasion during the Soviet-Afghan war (1979-1989). In 2003, Russia recognized the Taliban as a terrorist organization. In 2021, the extremist political and religious organization seized control of all of Afghanistan after the withdrawal of American troops. These events apparently convinced the Kremlin to soften its stance on the group.

Yet Russia actually began to actively cooperate with the Taliban as soon as they came to power. Representatives of the movement are frequently spotted in Moscow visiting government officials. In December 2024, the Duma passed a law allowing the Taliban to no longer be considered a terrorist organization.

In March 2025, the Prosecutor General's office asked the Supreme Court to suspend Russia's ban on the group's activities. By April, the ban was suspended.

The Taliban, meanwhile, has been criticized for suffocating a free press and implementing gender apartheid in Afghanistan.

You Might Also Like

Tali-unbanned
  • April 20, 2025

Tali-unbanned

The Russian government has removed the Taliban from its list of terrorist organizations.
The Music of War
  • October 30, 2024

The Music of War

Russian military ensembles glorify war and profit from it.
Afghanistan: A Second Chance?
  • February 20, 2009

Afghanistan: A Second Chance?

Thirty years ago, in 1979, the Persian Gulf was a tinderbox. On January 16, following months of uprisings, the Shah of Iran was overthrown. One month later, it looked like Afghanistan’s turn. The Soviet-backed thugs running the country had imposed radical social reforms, sparking a civil war and threatening pro-Soviet rule...
Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of our Books

Russian Rules
November 16, 2011

Russian Rules

From the shores of the White Sea to Moscow and the Northern Caucasus, Russian Rules is a high-speed thriller based on actual events, terrifying possibilities, and some really stupid decisions.

The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas
October 01, 2013

The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas

This exciting new trilogy by a Russian author – who has been compared to Orhan Pamuk and Umberto Eco – vividly recreates a lost world, yet its passions and characters are entirely relevant to the present day. Full of mystery, memorable characters, and non-stop adventure, The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas is a must read for lovers of historical fiction and international thrillers.

 
Driving Down Russia's Spine
June 01, 2016

Driving Down Russia's Spine

The story of the epic Spine of Russia trip, intertwining fascinating subject profiles with digressions into historical and cultural themes relevant to understanding modern Russia. 

Davai! The Russians and Their Vodka
November 01, 2012

Davai! The Russians and Their Vodka

In this comprehensive, quixotic and addictive book, Edwin Trommelen explores all facets of the Russian obsession with vodka. Peering chiefly through the lenses of history and literature, Trommelen offers up an appropriately complex, rich and bittersweet portrait, based on great respect for Russian culture.

Fish
February 01, 2010

Fish

This mesmerizing novel from one of Russia’s most important modern authors traces the life journey of a selfless Russian everywoman. In the wake of the Soviet breakup, inexorable forces drag Vera across the breadth of the Russian empire. Facing a relentless onslaught of human and social trials, she swims against the current of life, countering adversity and pain with compassion and hope, in many ways personifying Mother Russia’s torment and resilience amid the Soviet disintegration.

Marooned in Moscow
May 01, 2011

Marooned in Moscow

This gripping autobiography plays out against the backdrop of Russia's bloody Civil War, and was one of the first Western eyewitness accounts of life in post-revolutionary Russia. Marooned in Moscow provides a fascinating account of one woman's entry into war-torn Russia in early 1920, first-person impressions of many in the top Soviet leadership, and accounts of the author's increasingly dangerous work as a journalist and spy, to say nothing of her work on behalf of prisoners, her two arrests, and her eventual ten-month-long imprisonment, including in the infamous Lubyanka prison. It is a veritable encyclopedia of life in Russia in the early 1920s.

Murder at the Dacha
July 01, 2013

Murder at the Dacha

Senior Lieutenant Pavel Matyushkin has a problem. Several, actually. Not the least of them is the fact that a powerful Soviet boss has been murdered, and Matyushkin's surly commander has given him an unreasonably short time frame to close the case.

Moscow and Muscovites
November 26, 2013

Moscow and Muscovites

Vladimir Gilyarovsky's classic portrait of the Russian capital is one of Russians’ most beloved books. Yet it has never before been translated into English. Until now! It is a spectactular verbal pastiche: conversation, from gutter gibberish to the drawing room; oratory, from illiterates to aristocrats; prose, from boilerplate to Tolstoy; poetry, from earthy humor to Pushkin. 

At the Circus
January 01, 2013

At the Circus

This wonderful novella by Alexander Kuprin tells the story of the wrestler Arbuzov and his battle against a renowned American wrestler. Rich in detail and characterization, At the Circus brims with excitement and life. You can smell the sawdust in the big top, see the vivid and colorful characters, sense the tension build as Arbuzov readies to face off against the American.

About Us

Russian Life is a publication of a 30-year-young, award-winning publishing house that creates a bimonthly magazine, books, maps, and other products for Russophiles the world over.

Latest Posts

Our Contacts

Russian Life
73 Main Street, Suite 402
Montpelier VT 05602

802-223-4955