Understanding Russia’s Responses to the New Taliban Government Through Russian Mainstream Media Viewpoint

Abstract

The incident of the withdrawal of the United States and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) military forces from Afghanistan in August 2021 has implications for the country’s stability. With the rise of Taliban as the new government regime in Afghanistan, making the group once again back in full control of all policies taken which has the potential to influence the area around Afghanistan. Russia, which has interests in the Central Asia region and coincidently borders directly with Afghanistan, also took a stand in responding to the Taliban as the new supreme authority in Afghanistan and take precautions to secure their position and influence. This research was conducted and aims to analyze the policies taken by Russia in observing political phenomenon in Afghanistan since it was no longer occupied by the United States, especially how Russia views Taliban, who had been in conflict with Russia in the past. Using descriptive qualitative research methods, this research collects data that has been taken from Russian news channel to be processed later using content analysis techniques and presented in a comprehensive and complex manner. The results of this study indicate that unlike Western countries, Russia tends to be open in accepting the Taliban as the new government in Afghanistan, on the other hand remain alert to potential threats that could arise in the Central Asia region.