Russia’s Supreme Court has officially lifted the Taliban’s classification as a “terrorist organisation”, ending a designation that has stood since 2003.

The decision followed a closed-door hearing on Thursday in response to a petition filed by Prosecutor General Igor Krasnov. The request to delist the Taliban comes after a series of diplomatic exchanges between Russian officials and Taliban representatives in recent years.

Since the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan in August 2021, following the chaotic US military withdrawal, Moscow has gradually softened its stance.

Moscow has maintained informal contacts with the Taliban since 2015 and has been suspected of supplying the group with weapons in the past. In March 2022, the relationship between the two became official, with both sides establishing formal diplomatic ties.

Taliban officials have been hosted at Russia’s premier economic forums, and the group’s top diplomat met Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Moscow last October. President Vladimir Putin has gone so far as to describe the Taliban as “allies in the fight against terrorism,” particularly in the joint effort to combat Islamic State-Khorasan (IS-K), which has claimed deadly attacks in both Afghanistan and Russia, including the March 2024 Moscow concert hall massacre that killed 145 people.

Despite the court’s decision, Russia has stopped short of granting formal diplomatic recognition. Russian envoy to Afghanistan Zamir Kabulov has previously said such recognition would only come after the Taliban meets international demands, including the formation of an inclusive government and improved human rights, especially for women.

The move puts Russia in line with regional powers like Kazakhstan, which delisted the Taliban last year, and China, which appointed an ambassador to Kabul in 2023. Russia has already opened a business representative office in Afghanistan and sees the country as a key transit route for energy exports to Southeast Asia.