From T-55 tank to Mi-17 helicopter… what will Taliban get after the agreement with Russia?

Details of the defense deal between Afghanistan and Russia have come to light. According to Russia’s special envoy for Afghanistan, Zamir Kabulov, Moscow will not provide any new weapons to the Taliban right now. Russia Will repair only those weapons which the Taliban have since the Soviet era. With the repair of these weapons, the position of Taliban Afghanistan in terms of weapons can be strengthened. On May 30, Russia and the Taliban signed a defense agreement in Moscow.

Afghanistan International According to the report, Kabulov, while talking to journalists, said that in the coming time, Taliban may also get new weapons, but right now we are only working to bring the old weapons back into service.

How did the old Russian weapons come to the Taliban?

Before 1990, Afghanistan was under Soviet (now Russian) control. In 1979, Taliban fighters opened a front against the local government and Russia. In 1989, Russia decided to withdraw from Afghanistan. After this, Russian weapons were left with the Afghan government, which later came under the control of Taliban. In 2001, America attacked Taliban.

After this the democratic system was restored there. America gave a lot of weapons to Afghan soldiers. Afghanistan also had Soviet-era weapons left, but after America’s departure from Kabul in 2021, the Taliban again captured all the weapons.

What Russian weapons does the Taliban have?

Russia’s envoy to Afghanistan, Zamir Kabulov, said that the Afghan Defense Ministry (Taliban government) currently has dozens of T-55 and T-62 tanks, BMP-1 and BMP-2 series armored vehicles (APC/IFV) and Mi-17 and Mi-24 helicopters. Apart from this, the Taliban also have a large number of PKM machine guns.

Apart from tanks, the Taliban also have Soviet-era artillery, shoulder-fired missiles and old air defense systems. However, due to lack of maintenance and repair, not all of these weapons are fully operational.

The Taliban is trying to strengthen its defense capabilities. Speaking to journalists in Kabul after returning from Russia, the Taliban Defense Minister said, “We are developing such a system that no country can dare to attack Afghanistan.”