Russian Supreme Court to Review Taliban Ban Next Month

The Russian Supreme Court is scheduled to decide next month whether to remove the Taliban from its list of proscribed “terrorist” organizations, according to reports from Russian news agencies on Monday.

Since the Taliban’s ascendance to power in Afghanistan following the United States’ withdrawal in 2021, Moscow has been actively cultivating relations with the group.

TASS news agency, citing the court’s press service, indicated that the Supreme Court will conduct a hearing regarding the Taliban’s designation on April 17.

The hearing, which will be held behind closed doors, is anticipated to result in the lifting of the ban, following a formal request from the Prosecutor General’s Office.

President Vladimir Putin had previously enacted a law in December, approved by the parliament, which provided the legal framework for removing the Taliban from the list.

As per this legislation, a court can make such a determination based on the Prosecutor General’s assertion that the group has ceased its “terrorist” activities. Subsequently, Russia’s FSB security service can proceed with the removal.

Despite these steps, the anticipated action does not signify official recognition of the Taliban government or its self-proclaimed “Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,” a recognition that no nation has yet extended.

Since the U.S. departure from Afghanistan, Moscow has been fostering closer ties with the country, a relationship marked by historical complexities stemming from the Soviet invasion in the 1980s.

Even prior to the U.S. withdrawal, Taliban representatives had visited Russia at the invitation of the Kremlin for discussions on Afghanistan, notwithstanding the ban that had been in effect since 2003.

Last summer, Putin characterized the Taliban as Moscow’s “allies” in the fight against terrorism, citing their control over Afghanistan and their vested interest in the nation’s stability.

The Taliban government has been engaged in ongoing conflict with the Islamic State Khorasan (IS-K) jihadist group within Afghanistan for several years.

In 2024, IS-K claimed responsibility for the attack on a Moscow concert hall, which resulted in over 140 fatalities, marking the deadliest terror incident in Russia in nearly two decades.