This action precipitated a negative reaction in most of the Muslim world[citation needed], and contributing to a decline in Afghanistan's prosperity and a strengthening of lawlessness and radical elements within the country.

Initial contact with Afghanistan was viewed with suspicion by the British Empire, which suspected Russia of attempting to expand its territory into the Indian subcontinent.

This, combined with their support of Iranian ruler Mohammad Shah Qajar's attempt to conquer Herat in 1838, resulted in the British invasion of Afghanistan during the First Anglo-Afghan War (1839–42).

The Basmachi rebels used parts of Afghanistan as a safe haven until the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917, when Vladimir Lenin and other communist party leaders made efforts to gain support from the considerable Muslim population of their country.

The conflict shaped Soviet foreign policy towards developing countries, emphasizing the creation of puppet, proxy, and buffer states.

[13] In a confidential report in 1944 to the India Office, it was reported that fear of Russia was prevalent within the Afghan air force, and a question that was frequently put to British instructors was "when will the British and Americans realise that Russia is a danger to all small countries in Europe and Asia and begin to take action to counter Russian aims in the Balkans, the Mediterranean and the Near East?".

[21] In 1973, the two countries announced a $200 million assistance agreement on gas and oil development, trade, transport, irrigation, and factory construction.

Despite his earlier close cooperation with the USSR, Daoud Khan led Afghanistan back towards independence and non-alignment as President of the new republic.

This belief was consistent with longstanding Russian foreign policy that emphasized security through expansionism and the establishment of physical barriers in the form of buffer states.

The second reason for invasion was the possibility of interrupting Chinese and American efforts to establish greater political influence in Afghanistan before Soviet intervention would entail direct confrontation of those two rival powers.

The 1979 coup in Iran saw a massive increase in the scarcity and price of oil, adding tens of billions of dollars to the Soviet economy.

The Politburo was temporarily relieved of financial constraints and sought to fulfill a long-term geopolitical goal of seizing the lead in the region between Central Asia and the Gulf.

The cut of Russian exports led to a inability to equip and provide the large pro government militias and army with what they needed causing loyalty to waver and eventually leading to Najibullah's overthrow in April of 1992.

[32][33] During the Afghan Civil War (1992-96), the Soviet House of Science and Culture in west Kabul was destroyed during fighting between rival factions.

Reports of Afghan support for the rebels, part of the United Tajik Opposition against the Dushanbe government, led to cool relations between Russia and Afghanistan.

Russia provided military assistance to the Afghan Northern Alliance, who eventually proved to be a major force in the efforts to overthrow the Taliban regime following United States intervention in 2001.

[36] In October 2005, Russian defence officials stated they would be giving helicopters and other military equipment to Afghanistan's army worth $30 million USD.

[38] However, after Russia's relations with the West soured following the start of the Russo-Ukrainian War, Moscow decided to become active and expand its role in Afghanistan, according to Omar Nassar, the director of the Moscow-based Center for Contemporary Afghan Studies (CISA).

[39] Russia's more active involvement in Afghanistan includes business investment proposals, diplomatic propaganda, cultural programs, financial and military support for the central government, power influence in the north and with the Taliban.

[44] On 9 April 2022, the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs accredited Taliban appointee Jamal Nasir Gharwal as charge d'affaires of the Afghan Embassy in Moscow.

[45] The Russian embassy is one of only a handful to remain open in Kabul; in September 2022 Taliban government signed a provisional agreement with Russia to import petroleum products and wheat at a discount.

[46] On 28 May 2024 Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov said that Russia would soon remove the Taliban from their list of state sponsors of terrorism; this would lead to the full normalization of relations.