Russia Calls UN Report on Opium Cultivation Increase ‘Unbalanced’, Supports Taliban’s Anti-Drug Efforts
Russia has described the recent United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) report on the rise in opium cultivation as unbalanced and based on ‘indirect evidence,’ while expressing support for the Taliban administration’s efforts in combating drug trafficking.
According to TASS, the Russian Foreign Ministry stated in a declaration that producing politically charged and propagandistic materials does little to aid the fight against drugs. Referring to the use of satellite images in the UN report, the ministry added that experts may have different interpretations of these images.
Moscow further claimed that the UN report failed to provide a convincing explanation as to why the Taliban administration, amid attempts to gain international legitimacy, would damage its own credibility. The Taliban administration has also rejected the UN report, alleging that it relies on estimations and inaccurate information from biased groups.
At the same time, the Russian Foreign Ministry emphasized that the drug problem in Afghanistan persists and Taliban officials are fully aware of it. The ministry asserted that Afghan forces conduct operations almost daily across various parts of the country to destroy drug production facilities and to discover and seize narcotics. Moscow also stressed its commitment to continue cooperating with the Taliban administration and supporting its anti-drug measures.
The UNODC’s recent report revealed that the area under opium poppy cultivation in Afghanistan in 2026 (equivalent to 1405 in the Iranian calendar) increased by 330 percent compared to the previous year, rising from approximately 10,000 hectares to over 43,000 hectares. The report also indicated that opium production surged by 400 percent to nearly 1,500 tons.
Monika Juma, the head of the UNODC, stated that without providing alternative income sources for farmers, continuing to reduce opium cultivation will be challenging, as poor farmers resort to growing the crop to meet their families’ basic needs.
