Russia and Taliban sign labor migration deal amid expanding bilateral ties
Russian authorities have brokered a deal with the Taliban to dramatically expand labor migration from Afghanistan, the head of the Russian Business Center in Afghanistan, Rustam Khabibullin, told the news outlet Baza. While currently around 100 Afghans are employed in Russian construction sites, this number is expected to swell to a thousand. Khabibullin noted that skilled Afghan laborers, ranging from bricklayers and welders to electricians and painters, are set to head to Russia. The necessary work permits are reportedly being processed in the Chechen Republic, Dagestan, and the Krasnodar region. Afghan agricultural experts, specializing in fields such as crop cultivation, livestock, and veterinary science, have also expressed interest in working in Russia. Some Afghan construction teams are planned to be deployed in Russian-occupied territories of Ukraine to assist with debris clearance and rebuilding efforts.
The deepening ties between Moscow and the Taliban began to take shape after February 2022, despite the group's formal designation on Russia's list of terrorist organizations since 2003. In the spring of this year, Russia’s Supreme Court granted a request from Prosecutor General Igor Krasnov to remove the "Taliban" from the blacklist. Following this, the Russian Foreign Ministry announced a commitment to developing partnership relations with the Afghan government across various domains.
Recently, the Taliban proposed the use of national currencies in bilateral trade instead of the dollar, and the Russian side is exploring projects, including laying railroads in Afghanistan. NT-C Protey company has already installed 4G mobile communication equipment in four Afghan provinces.
Since seizing power in 2021, the Taliban has established an authoritarian regime in Afghanistan, imposing severe restrictions on women and integrating Islamic law into the judiciary. For instance, in April, it was reported that under the newly enacted "Virtue Law," Afghan authorities began detaining men for having short beards or missing prayers.