MOSCOW — President Vladimir V. Putin has signed a law enabling the temporary suspension of Russia’s ban on the Taliban, currently designated as a terrorist organization by Russia, according to Russian media reports.
The legislation, published on the government’s official legal information portal and reported by the TASS news agency, introduces a mechanism for legal interaction with the Taliban in Afghanistan.
Leonid Slutsky, the head of the State Duma Committee on International Affairs, said the new provisions would facilitate dialogue and cooperation with the group, despite its terrorist designation under Russian law.
Under the law, a court may suspend the ban on an organization recognized as a terrorist entity based on an application from the Prosecutor General of the Russian Federation or their deputy. Such a decision would be contingent on evidence that the group has ceased terrorist activities, including the propagation, justification, or support of terrorism or other criminal acts.
Once the court decision is finalized, it must be sent to the Federal Security Service (FSB) within five days to update the list of terrorist organizations, the report added.
Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov emphasized Moscow’s careful approach to the issue, expressing openness to dialogue with Kabul while ensuring that decisions are made prudently. His colleague, Deputy Foreign Minister Andrei Rudenko, reiterated that Russia does not intend to delay the process artificially and is awaiting the completion of necessary legal procedures.
Zamir Kabulov, Russia’s special envoy for Afghanistan, announced in October that a decision in principle to remove the Taliban from the terrorist organization list had been made at the highest levels of government. However, he noted that the legal and bureaucratic steps required to implement the change were still pending.
The move comes as the United Nations continues to warn of the presence of over 20 active terrorist groups in Afghanistan operating under the Taliban’s regime. Critics argue that delisting the Taliban could complicate efforts to address the broader threat of terrorism in the region.
