Medvedev Calls Taliban Less Dangerous Than Western-Backed Organizations
Dmitry Medvedev, Deputy Chairman of Russia’s Security Council, in an article published in the magazine “Rodina,” compared the Taliban with Western-backed organizations, stating that during the years the Taliban were listed as a terrorist organization in Russia, they caused less harm to Russia.
In the article released on Wednesday, December 24, Medvedev claimed that organizations operating under Western support, often under the guise of humanitarian and scientific aid, pursued objectives aimed at weakening and fragmenting Russia. He added that, in his view, these organizations have been a greater threat to modern Russia than the Taliban.
The Deputy Chairman of the Security Council further wrote that the goal of these organizations has always been consistent: to divide the multiethnic people of Russia. In this section, without referring to the domestic and regional record of the Taliban, he focused his criticism on Western policies and structures.
Meanwhile, Russian officials have previously expressed readiness for cooperation with the Taliban in areas such as counter-terrorism and drug trafficking. Vladimir Putin, President of Russia, stated in September that Moscow supports these collaborations, although he simultaneously warned that terrorist groups continue to use Afghan territory.
On the other hand, the American magazine Insider reported exclusively last December that Russia’s military intelligence agency financially supported the Taliban during the presence of foreign forces in Afghanistan. According to the report, Russia paid the Taliban an average of $200,000 for each U.S. or coalition soldier killed—a claim Moscow has not officially confirmed to date.
