Russia moves to suspend Taliban ban under new legal framework

Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has submitted a legal request to temporarily suspend the ban on the Taliban, officially designated as a terrorist organization in Russia, state news agency TASS reported Monday.

According to the Supreme Court's press service, the court has accepted the administrative claim concerning the suspension of the Taliban's status on Russia's federal list of banned terrorist groups. A closed-door hearing is scheduled for April 17.

The move follows a law signed by President Vladimir Putin in December 2024 that permits the temporary suspension of such bans under specific conditions.

Leonid Slutsky, chair of the State Duma's foreign affairs committee and leader of the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia (LDPR), has said the legislative change paves the way for Russia to officially engage with the Taliban, which currently governs Afghanistan.

Under the revised legal framework, Russian courts may approve suspension of a ban if the prosecutor general or a deputy presents evidence that an organization has ceased terrorist activities and propaganda. Once a ruling is issued, it must be forwarded to the Federal Security Service (FSB) within five days to update the national terrorist registry.

The Taliban has been listed as a banned terrorist organization in Russia since 2003. However, Moscow has recently sought to expand diplomatic and economic ties with the Taliban-led Afghan government, despite the legal restrictions on formal engagement.