There are currently estimated to be 1,500 Russians in Afghanistan, which in this article refers not only to ethnic
Russians, but also to any citizens of
Russia.
In the 1960s and 1970s, due to
cooperation between the
Soviet Union and
Afghanistan, there were roughly 10,000
Russian expatriate engineers, interpreters, construction workers, and other similar professionals living in the country, a figure which had grown to 15,000 by the eve of the
Soviet–Afghan War in 1979. However, they mostly left the country during or after the war.
There was also some Russian-language media, but it closed down during the period of
Taliban government in the late 1990s.
Some Russians remained. A peculiar example of one is Noor Mohammad, previously named Sergei Yurevich Krasnoperov, who lives in Afghanistan and considers himself a proud Afghan. He fought in the
Soviet–Afghan War, before converting to Islam and deserting to the Mujahideen. After the war, he decided not to return to
Russia. He now has a wife and 6 children in Afghanistan.
In
Balkh Province, near the border with
Uzbekistan, there are also reported to be numerous Russian businessmen, who have established ventures in the food, transport, and tourism industries. There are also
Russian Jews with dual Russian and Israeli passports, who have been reported to be occasionally harassed by the local security forces following discovery of Israeli citizenship. Afghanistan does not recognise Israeli passports, although bribery is not uncommon.
It was not immediately clear how the
Taliban’s return to power in 2021 would affect the Russian community. On 19 October, 'Minnews' reported that the "Russian diaspora in Afghanistan have been little affected by the changes".
See also
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Demographics of Afghanistan
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Armenians in Afghanistan
There was once a small but important community of Armenians in Afghanistan, centered in Kabul.
They lived peacefully among the Muslims, celebrated Nawroz together with them, and were even given the privilege to brew and drink wine.
History
In 17 ...
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History of Arabs in Afghanistan
The history of Arabs in Afghanistan spans over one millennium, from the 11th century Islamic conquest when Arabs arrived with their Islamic mission until recently when others from the Arab world arrived to defend fellow Muslims from the Soviet U ...
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Pakistanis in Afghanistan
References
{{Ethnic groups in Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Ethnic groups in Afghanistan
Immigration to Afghanistan