Following the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan, Russia claimed it had received fresh orders for weapons and helicopters from Central Asian countries bordering Afghanistan.
The orders came as countries in the former Soviet Union, where Moscow maintains military bases, have expressed worry over the militant group’s rise to prominence.
“We are already working on a number of orders from countries in the region for the supply of Russian helicopters, firearms, and modern border protection systems,” Alexander Mikheev, the head of Russia’s state arms exporter Rosoboronexport, told the RIA Novosti news agency.
While Russia is cautiously hopeful about the new administration in Kabul, it has issued a warning about terrorists seeking refuge in neighboring countries.
Tajikistan has stated that it will not recognize the Afghan government because it is controlled by the Taliban.
Uzbekistan and Tajikistan conducted coordinated military drills with Russia along their Afghanistan borders earlier this month.
Between September 7 and 9, Kyrgyzstan will host drills involving members of the Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO), a military alliance headed by Moscow.
The maneuvers will focus on “the destruction of illegal armed groups that have invaded the territory of a CSTO member state”, according to the press service of the alliance quoted by the Interfax news agency.
While the Taliban has said that it does not represent a threat to Central Asian nations, attacks against ex-Soviet republics in the region have previously been blamed on Afghan militants’ supporters.
