Russia Signs Military Cooperation Agreement With Taliban

Russia and Taliban members have signed an agreement on military-technical cooperation.

This was reported by the Russian Interfax news agency.

The document was signed during the International Security Forum taking place in the Moscow region.

Earlier, during a meeting with Russian Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu, Afghan Defense Minister Muhammad Yaqoob said Kabul and Moscow had significantly expanded bilateral cooperation.

On May 14 in Bishkek, Shoigu stated that Russia had established dialogue with the Taliban movement and was building a full-fledged partnership with it. The contents of the signed agreement were not disclosed.

In April 2025, Russia’s Supreme Court suspended the ban on the Taliban movement’s activities in the country.

Before that, the organization had officially been designated as terrorist and banned in Russia.

Russia’s Prosecutor General’s Office said the appeal to the court was based on amendments to the federal law “On Counteracting Terrorism.”

Under the new rules, a ban on a terrorist organization may be suspended if it has ceased activities related to the promotion, justification, or support of terrorism, as well as terrorist crimes against Russian interests.

Illustrative photo of Taliban members. Photo from open sources

In early 2025, The Insider published an investigation alleging that Russia’s Main Directorate of the General Staff (GRU) financed killings of US citizens by Taliban members.