Russia has signed an agreement to strengthen its military cooperation with the Taliban, deepening its ties with the hardline Islamist group and cementing its status as the only country in the world to recognize its regime in Afghanistan, writes "Independent".
The deal was ratified during an event in Moscow called the "International Security Forum", which was organized by Russia and attended on Wednesday by the Taliban's defense minister and senior leader Mohammad Yaqub.
This is the first high-level meeting with Taliban representatives since Russia recognized the group as the official government of Afghanistan in July 2025. No other country in the world has done this.
Although neither Russia nor the Afghan side shared details of the military-technical agreement, it raises concerns that the Taliban could start providing its experienced fighters to participate in Russia's military efforts against Ukraine. North Korea has sent thousands of soldiers to the front lines of the war in Europe, after Pyongyang and Moscow also signed a military agreement in June 2024.
Yakub said that the Taliban and Russia have expanded their bilateral relations and that the group sees cooperation with Moscow as something of "important importance."
"Afghanistan and Russia have a long and historic relationship, and we want to move forward in that direction. "We have expanded bilateral relations," said Yaqub, son of Taliban founder Mullah Mohammad Omar, during the meeting.
The Taliban representative added: "Russia is an important country in our region and in the whole world."
Sergey Shoigu, a senior adviser to Vladimir Putin and former defense minister who is currently secretary of the Russian Security Council, welcomed the Taliban leader and used the meeting to condemn Western sanctions against the group.
"We are convinced that Western countries must unfreeze frozen Afghan assets, fully recognize the full extent of their responsibility for their 20-year presence in Afghanistan and shoulder the full burden of rebuilding the country after what happened," he stressed.
Shoigu said Russia had taken note of the measures taken by the Taliban "to combat terrorism and drug trafficking in Afghanistan".
"We consider it unacceptable — both for us and for our Afghan friends — the return of military structures or facilities of the United States and NATO to Afghanistan or neighboring countries under any pretext", he said.
Experts noted that the extent of military cooperation agreed between the two sides has yet to be clarified, and this does not necessarily mean that the Taliban will send troops, as North Korea did.
"Russia cannot expect significant assistance from the Taliban — neither in terms of weapons nor troops. "In the absence of details on the terms of the agreement, it is difficult to say what Russia can actually get from Afghanistan," said Alexey Zahrov, a fellow at the New Delhi-based Observer Research Foundation.
He noted the fundamental differences between Moscow's relations with Pyongyang and the regime in Kabul, emphasizing that Russia has received troops and ammunition from North Korea in exchange for advanced missile technology and economic support.
A similar deal with the Taliban is unlikely, given the regime's fragile situation.
"The Taliban are currently struggling with growing instability in the northern Afghan provinces and cannot fully secure the southern border with Pakistan. For this reason, Russian assistance to repair military equipment or supply some outdated weapons would be very timely. However, Russia would be unlikely to share sophisticated technology due to the risks of proliferation, Zahrov explained.
Instead, Russia may prefer that the Taliban focus their efforts on securing the northern provinces and the long, difficult-to-control border with the Central Asian region, which Moscow sees as its sphere of influence. Russia has openly expressed its growing concerns about the presence of "Islamic State" fighters in Afghanistan.
Alexander Bortnikov, director of Russia's Federal Security Service, said on Wednesday that the "Islamic State-Khorasan" group - an active regional branch of "Islamic State" - is "is currently actively recruiting citizens of Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, as well as labor migrants in Russia".
"Secret terrorist cells are being formed and terrorist attacks are being planned", he noted.
At least on this issue, the two sides are at odds. The Taliban's chief spokesman, Zabihullah Mujahid, said that the "Islamic State" movement has been completely destroyed and that no terrorist groups operate from Afghan territory.
"No country should have any concerns about Afghanistan. No individual or group is allowed to carry out such activities. "Islamic State" has been completely eliminated in Afghanistan and