Russia May Temporarily Remove Taliban From Terrorist List, Court To Review In April

Russia’s Prosecutor General has formally requested the country’s Supreme Court to suspend the Taliban’s designation as a terrorist organisation, state news agency Interfax reported on Monday.

The Supreme Court is scheduled to review the request on 17 April, according to RIA Novosti.

The move comes under a new legal framework signed into law by President Vladimir Putin on 28 December 2024. The legislation allows for the conditional and temporary suspension of a group’s terrorist status if specific legal and security conditions are met. Under the law, the Prosecutor General or their deputy may request such a suspension, pending a court ruling.

The Taliban has been listed as a terrorist organisation in Russia since 14 February 2003. While Moscow, like most countries, has not officially recognised the Taliban-led government in Afghanistan, it has maintained diplomatic and economic ties with the group. Russia has handed over operational control of the Afghan embassy in Moscow to Taliban representatives, with Jamal Nasir Gharwal currently serving as chargé d’affaires.

President Putin said in July 2024 that the Taliban is now considered an ally in counterterrorism efforts. However, for the court to approve the suspension of the terrorist designation, Russian authorities must provide evidence that the Taliban has ceased all terrorism-related activity—including incitement, justification, or support for terrorist acts—under the definitions set out in Russia’s penal code.

Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko confirmed in February that Russia is in no rush to grant formal recognition to the Taliban. He added that the legal process for removing the group from the terrorist list would take time.

Meanwhile, Zamir Kabulov, Putin’s special envoy for Afghanistan, announced that a Russia-Taliban bilateral working group is expected to be established in spring 2025. This group would replace the existing intergovernmental commission on economic cooperation, despite the Taliban’s ongoing lack of international recognition.

Russian officials have made clear that even if the Taliban is removed from the terrorist list, the decision would not equate to formal diplomatic recognition of the group.