Russia and the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, led by the Taliban, have signed an agreement on military-technical cooperation on the sidelines of the International Security Forum held in the Moscow region on May 27, Afghan outlet TOLOnews reported.
The document was signed by Russian Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu and Afghanistan’s Defense Minister, Mullah Mohammad Yaqoob Mujahid, the son of Taliban founder Mullah Omar. The details of the agreement have not been officially disclosed.
Such agreements typically cover the exchange of weapons, military technologies, and licenses, as well as potential joint development projects. However, political analyst Ruslan Suleymanov told The Insider that the deal is largely “symbolic,” casting doubt on whether there is a real foundation for meaningful cooperation between Moscow and the Taliban.
The agreement reflects a broader and rapid warming of relations between Moscow and Kabul. Russia formally recognized the Islamic Emirate in July 2025. Speaking at a meeting of Security Council secretaries from Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) member states in Bishkek on May 14, Shoigu said Moscow is “consistently building a full-fledged partnership” with the Taliban, spanning political, security, trade, economic, and humanitarian ties.
At the same meeting, Shoigu also urged regional countries to deepen engagement with Kabul and stressed the inadmissibility of deploying military infrastructure belonging to third countries—primarily the United States—either in Afghanistan or in neighboring states.
At the signing ceremony, Mohammad Yaqoob Mujahid noted that Afghanistan “has been at war for forty years,” including “twenty years of U.S. occupation,” and expressed hope that military cooperation with Russia would expand. Shoigu, in turn, acknowledged the Taliban’s efforts in combating terrorism and drug trafficking, adding that Moscow supports “a united, independent, and peaceful Afghanistan.”
Despite the apparent rapprochement, tensions remain. Following statements by the head of Russia’s Federal Security Service about heightened ISIS activity in Afghanistan, a representative of the Islamic Emirate rejected the claims and urged Moscow not to rely on what it called “misleading information from certain intelligence circles.”
Zabihullah Mujahid, the Taliban’s chief spokesman, insisted that ISIS has been fully suppressed in Afghanistan and that no group is allowed to use Afghan territory to threaten other countries.
“We consider these claims false. No country should be concerned about Afghanistan. No individual or group is permitted to carry out such activities. ISIS has been completely destroyed in Afghanistan, and Afghan security forces have dealt with it decisively,” Mujahid said.
