The Taliban flag flies over the Afghan Embassy in Moscow, 3 July 2025. Photo: TASS

Russia has officially recognised the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, Vladimir Putin’s Special Representative for Afghanistan Zamir Kabulov informed state-owned news agency RIA Novosti on Thursday.

The Russian Foreign Ministry subsequently confirmed the news to state-owned news agency TASS. Following the announcement, the Taliban flag was raised over the Afghan Embassy in Moscow for the first time.

Dmitry Zhirnov, Russia’s ambassador to Kabul, said Vladimir Putin took the decision to formally recognise the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan on the advice of Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. Speaking on state-owned propaganda channel Rossiya-1, Zhirnov said the move demonstrated “Russia’s sincere desire to establish a full-fledged partnership with Afghanistan”.

The Taliban re-seized power in Afghanistan in August 2021, following the departure of US troops from the country, and renamed the country the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan. The radical Islamist movement had spent 20 years attempting to regain control after losing power following the US invasion of the country following the 9/11 attacks of 2001.

The Russian Supreme Court ruled to decriminalise the Taliban in April, following a request from the country’s Prosecutor General Igor Krasnov. The Russian parliament passed legislation in December allowing the removal of a group from Russia’s list of terror organisations if it had “ceased activities aimed at promoting and supporting terrorism”.

The Taliban was added to Russia’s list of terrorist organisations in March 2003, based on resolutions adopted by both the UN Security Council and Russia’s Supreme Court.