Nargiza Umarova, a Senior Research Fellow at the Institute for Advanced International Studies, in her new article, published by The Jamestown Foundation, a examines Moscow’s expanding efforts to establish additional transportation links to Afghanistan and explains how these initiatives reflect Russia’s broader geopolitical and economic aims. According to the author, the Kremlin is eager to secure alternative trade routes at a time when Western sanctions have curtailed Russia’s access to many global markets. In seeking to work with Afghanistan, Russian authorities not only hope to lessen the impact of sanctions but also strive to assert influence over key transit corridors in Central Asia.

 

By extending rail and road infrastructure toward Afghanistan, Moscow can position itself as a key player in the region, exert leverage over the Taliban government, and potentially regulate—or at least monitor—the flow of goods, people, and security threats along its southern periphery. Overall, Nargiza Umarova argues that these transport and trade expansions serve both Russia’s near-term economic interests and its long-standing ambition to remain the primary power broker in Central Asia.

 

Read the paper on The Jamestown Foundation’s website

 

* The Institute for Advanced International Studies (IAIS) does not take institutional positions on any issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the IAIS.