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There has been a surprising turn in the mutual equation and geopolitics of the global superpowers, which could not have been imagined a few years ago. History has taken such a U-turn that has forced defense experts all over the world to think. The Soviet Union (now Russia), which the Taliban once considered its biggest enemy and against which it fought a bloody guerrilla war for decades, has today been made the same Russia by the Taliban as its new strategic partner. A very historic defense-cooperation agreement has been signed between the two sides on 27 May 2026. The pro-American policies of the neighboring country Pakistan and the military attacks on Afghan cities have emerged as the major reasons behind this big change, which forced Kabul to side with Moscow.
Surrounded by the maze of Pakistan and America, Taliban played Russia’s big card.
Diplomatic and military tension between Afghanistan and Pakistan has reached its peak in the last few months. In February this year, Pakistan launched military and air attacks on several major Afghan cities including Kabul and Kandahar, after which the relations between the two neighboring countries dropped to the lowest level in history. A new turn came in this dispute when America openly supported these attacks of Pakistan and termed it as Pakistan’s ‘right to self-defense’. Sensing this action of Pakistan and the double attitude of Washington, Taliban chose a new path for its security. The Taliban understood that if Pakistan continued to receive US support, it would need Moscow’s power to save its sovereignty.
Secret Defense Deal: Moscow to upgrade Russian weapons and US-era helicopters
Although all the secret details of this high-profile agreement signed on May 27 have not been made public, both countries have described it as primarily a techno-military cooperation framework. Under this, Russian military experts will carry out the repair, maintenance and re-operation of heavy military equipment, armored vehicles and fighter aircraft of Soviet and Russian origin present in Afghanistan. The most special thing about this fleet is that it also includes Mi-17 helicopters given by the American and NATO forces to the erstwhile Afghan Air Force, which came under the control of the Taliban after the withdrawal of US forces in 2021. This historic agreement has been signed by Afghanistan’s Defense Minister Maulvi Mohammad Yaqub Mujahid and Russia’s Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu.
Taliban has a huge stockpile of Russian arsenal, Shoigu praised the efforts
When the Afghan Republic collapsed in 2021, a large stockpile of American weapons as well as Soviet-era weapons came under Taliban control. According to a recent statement by Russia’s special envoy Zamir Kabulov, there are currently more than 100 Mi-17 helicopters and thousands of Kamaz trucks and armored vehicles in the Taliban’s arsenal, the backbone of which will now be strengthened with Russia’s technical cooperation. During the agreement, Sergei Shoigu clearly said that Russia wants to see Afghanistan as an independent, stable and peaceful nation and appreciates the Taliban’s tough efforts against terrorism and drug trafficking.
Moscow attack and ISKP: This ‘common enemy’ brought both powers closer
Behind this diplomatic alliance between Russia and Taliban is not only the fear of Pakistan and America, but also a dangerous common enemy—Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISKP). In the year 2024, the same terrorist organization ISKP had carried out a barbaric attack on the Crocus City Hall in Moscow, in which 151 innocent Russian citizens were killed. On the other hand, Taliban also considers ISKP as the biggest internal threat to its rule and stability in Afghanistan. Russia has been providing intelligence and strategic help to the Taliban against this terrorist organization since 2017. This is why in the year 2025, Russia took a big step and included itself in the list of the first countries in the world to formally give diplomatic recognition to the Taliban regime. Regional political analyst Abdul Baseer Basirat believes that this step of Taliban is very necessary to protect its security and common interests in the changing global circumstances.
