Russia showed military power to the Taliban, landed armed commandos on the Afghan border, this country supported

Russia has shown power on the border of Afghanistan. This show of power was part of the Russia-Tajikistan joint military exercise. During this, the Special Forces of both the countries carried out joint anti-terrorism exercises near the border of Afghanistan. These focused on combating extremist groups. Information about this exercise has been given by the Russian Defense Ministry. Tajikistan is a former Soviet country, which has close defense ties with Russia.

What did the Russian Defense Ministry say

According to the Russian Defense Ministry, the exercise, which began on April 7, took place at a training ground in Tajikistan and involved advanced military equipment including Orlan-10 drones, tanks, artillery and Mi-24 helicopters. The aim of the exercise was to increase the readiness of the troops of both the countries to eliminate terrorist threats and conduct operations in rugged environments. According to the Russian Defense Ministry, the exercise involved identifying a simulated enemy position and then precision artillery strikes to neutralize the simulated target.

Why are Russia and Tajikistan afraid of the Taliban

Despite maintaining diplomatic and economic ties with the Taliban, which regained control of Afghanistan in August 2021, Russia and Tajikistan are wary of potential security risks, including extremist groups and the infiltration of weapons across their borders. Russia and Tajikistan are members of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), a regional security alliance led by Moscow. The alliance has conducted several exercises in Tajikistan in recent years to address concerns arising from the Taliban, citing the risk of militant spread to member countries.

Russia is a strong ally of Tajikistan

In March 2025, Russian President Vladimir Putin met Tajik President Emomali Rahmon in Moscow, where he underlined Russia’s commitment to supporting the security of Central Asian countries. Putin stressed that Moscow cannot remain indifferent to threats emanating from Afghan territory, highlighting the strategic importance of regional cooperation.