Russia and Afghanistan’s Taliban government have signed a military agreement, in a move that signals deepening cooperation between the sides, experts said.
The deal was signed on May 27 by Sergei Shoigu, secretary of Russia’s Security Council, and the Taliban’s defense minister, Mohammad Yaqub, on the sidelines of a security forum outside of Moscow, Russian media reported.
Neither side has released the text of the military cooperation agreement or offered details about its scope, making it difficult to gauge whether the deal represents a substantive shift in military cooperation or a symbolic political gesture, experts said.
Military-technical cooperation agreements can cover a wide range of activities, including arms sales, training, maintenance, logistics support, or technical assistance.
Experts said Russia’s ability and willingness to deepen defense cooperation with the Taliban is constrained by Moscow’s ongoing war in Ukraine and the crippling impact of Western sanctions on the Kremlin’s coffers.
“Russia is too economically stretched to provide free military aid to the Taliban government,” said Hameed Hakimi, nonresident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council, a Washington-based think tank.
“Meanwhile, the Taliban government does not have deep coffers to purchase such a quantity of military equipment, which would make it a consequential military trading partner in Moscow's eyes,” added Hakimi, who is also a senior research associate at ODI Global, a London-based think tank.
Any cooperation is more likely to focus on maintenance, coordination, or training rather than major arms deliveries, experts said.
Russian analyst Ruslan Suleymanov told The Insider, a Russia-focused, independent media outlet based in Latvia, that the deal is a political signal rather than a sign of imminent military support.
Armed Taliban fighters ride on vehicles parade as they celebrate the first anniversary of the withdrawal of US-led troops from Afghanistan, in Kabul on August 31, 2022.
Expanding Ties
Russia is the only country that has formally recognized the Taliban as Afghanistan’s legitimate government. It did so in 2025, four years after the group returned to power following the withdrawal of US and NATO forces from Afghanistan in 2021.
Several countries -- including China, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan -- maintain diplomatic, trade, and economic ties with the Taliban without officially recognizing its government.
Russia has hosted Taliban delegations in recent years and positioned itself as a key interlocutor on Afghan security issues.
Moscow is particularly concerned about the threat posed to Russia and Central Asia, which it considers its strategic backyard, by militant groups such as Islamic State Khorasan (IS-K).
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Aleksandr Bortnikov, head of Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB), warned on May 26 that IS-K remains one of the most active and dangerous terrorist organizations operating in Afghanistan.
Kabul's Search For Partners
For the Afghan Taliban, closer ties with Russia offer diplomatic and practical benefits at a time when the country remains largely isolated internationally.
Engagement with Moscow allows Kabul to signal that it is not entirely cut off from the international system and can secure partnerships with major powers outside the West.
“The symbolism of the agreement with Russia will allow the Taliban to claim external legitimacy and create a PR moment to influence public opinion domestically,” Hakimi told RFE/RL.
Russian Security Council's Secretary Sergei Shoigu. (file photo)
Ruling with an iron first, the Taliban is widely despised by Afghans. While it has brought relative stability to the war-torn country, the militant Islamist group has deprived many people of their basic rights, particularly women, and been accused of committing gross human rights abuses.
From Moscow’s perspective, the agreement fits into a broader effort to reassert influence in the region following the US-led military withdrawal from Afghanistan.
Moscow has sought to frame itself as a counterweight to Western policies. During the security forum on May 27, Shoigu reiterated Moscow’s calls on Western countries to unfreeze Afghan government assets held in foreign banks and accept what he described as responsibility for the consequences of their two-decade military presence in the country.
Earlier, on May 14, during a regional security meeting in Kyrgyzstan, Shoigu said Russia had built a “pragmatic dialogue” with the Taliban and was developing what he called a “full-fledged partnership” with Kabul, citing shared security concerns and regional stability.