Why Russia still classifies the Taliban as a terrorist organization after suspending its ban on the group
We found that in March 2026, the National Antiterrorism Committee published “Collected Information on the Activities of Organizations Designated as Terrorist in the Russian Federation.” Staff at the FSB Research Center prepared it “to inform the public about the crimes” committed by these groups.
In March 2026, the National Antiterrorism Committee released a report detailing the activities of terrorist organizations operating within Russia. This report included the Taliban among the designated terrorist groups. Furthermore, the financial intelligence agency Rosfinmonitoring also lists the Taliban as one of their monitored extremist organizations.
However, in April 2025, Russia's Supreme Court granted a request to suspend the ban on Taliban activities within the country. This suspension was requested by the Prosecutor General's Office and was implemented by the Federal Law on Countering Terrorism.
Despite this suspension, the information gathered by the FSB and included in their report still classifies the Taliban as an international terrorist organization. The report describes the Taliban's ideological goals as being to overthrow secular rule in Afghanistan and establish a state governed by Sharia law. Additionally, it notes that the Taliban's efforts are focused on establishing relations with foreign countries, including Russia.
The suspension of the ban does not erase the Taliban's status as a terrorist organization in Russia. The 2025 amendments clarify that suspending the ban does not trigger a review of past criminal cases involving the Taliban. Moreover, the Taliban remains on Rosfinmonitoring's list of monitored organizations, which means that Russian banks and financial institutions are still prohibited from engaging in business with them.
The suspension of the ban is a temporary measure, and the Russian authorities retain the authority to modify their decision at any point. Consequently, the Taliban is both legally and formally considered a terrorist organization in Russia, even though the country's Supreme Court ruled in 2025 that the movement had renounced terrorism. This situation remains unique, as it is the only organization currently classified as such and treated as legal in Russia.
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