The Prosecutor General’s Office of Russia has submitted a formal request to the country’s Supreme Court to remove the name “Taliban” from its national blacklist.

The Russian Supreme Court confirmed receipt of the request and announced that a closed-door session on the matter is scheduled for the 17th of this month.

The Kyiv Independent reported: “Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has filed a petition with the Supreme Court requesting the suspension of the ban on dealings with the Taliban, pro-government media outlet Interfax reported on March 31. The Supreme Court is set to review the request on April 17 in a closed session. The Taliban remains on Russia's federal list of terrorist organizations since 2003.”

Janat Faheem Chakari, a political analyst, said: “Russia’s move to delist the Islamic Emirate is considered a positive step, and it could signal a potential warming of ties between Afghanistan and Russia.”

Although the Islamic Emirate has not recently commented on the issue, it previously welcomed the Russian State Duma’s positive vote on a bill aimed at removing the Islamic Emirate from the blacklist. At the time, they called the move an important step toward strengthening relations between Kabul and Moscow.

Sayed Akbar Sial Wardak, another political expert, stated: “Countries aligned with Russia will inevitably grow closer to the Islamic Emirate and are likely to engage with it across various sectors.”

Hiwad Zazai, a political affairs analyst, noted: “There is ongoing competition between the West and Russia over Afghanistan, with both sides actively trying to build strong relations with Kabul under the current circumstances.”

Earlier, on December 29, 2024, the Russian president signed a law allowing the temporary suspension of restrictions on organizations listed as terrorist groups, paving the way for potential policy changes.