Over the past three years, the Taliban have not only deprived girls and women of all aspects of social, educational, and academic life but have also imposed many restrictions on men in the country. The group has prevented hundreds of students from traveling to Russia, claiming that students “go as Muslims and return as Communists.” The Taliban Ministry of Higher Education has recently once again blocked the travel of 500 students to Russia, stating that their beliefs will be corrupted. Some students, deeply concerned about their uncertain future, are questioning the Taliban, asking how they can justify making friends with communists and receiving money from them while considering education and acquiring knowledge as harmful to one’s faith. This comes even though the Taliban themselves have close relations with Moscow, and reports suggest that over the past two decades, they received money from Russia for each American soldier killed in the war against foreign forces in Afghanistan.
Applicants for Russian scholarships say that the Taliban Ministry of Higher Education has blocked the travel of around 500 students to Russia. These students say that they had registered for scholarships in 2023, and completed all administrative steps after succeeding in the 2024 exams, but now the Taliban are preventing them from obtaining travel permits to Russia. They explain that, despite widespread poverty and unemployment, each student paid between 100 to 150 US dollars for travel to major cities and medical tests.
These students add that after months of waiting and numerous meetings, they were recently informed by the Russian Ambassador and the head of the Russian House of Science and Culture in Kabul that the issue was not on Russia’s side. According to the Russian embassy officials, the Taliban Ministry of Higher Education is preventing these scholarships and has ordered that no student should have access to them.
Scholarship applicants emphasize that this action by the Taliban is a denial of the youth’s fundamental right to pursue a bright future and higher education. They argue that those who have worked for years for this opportunity are now facing despair. These students assert that the Taliban’s action shows they are opposed to knowledge, progress, and the development of the younger generation. Many of these students believe that the Taliban is an “anti-education and anti-knowledge group.” They point to the closure of schools for girls above grade six and the prohibition of women from attending university, stating that the group is only interested in establishing religious schools and promoting extremism in the country’s universities.
These students are calling on the international community, human rights organizations and the media to raise their voices and make the Taliban aware of their deprivation, ensuring that these young people, who have an insatiable thirst for acquiring contemporary knowledge, are not denied education. They insist that the voice of a generation whose only wish is to study and work toward a better future for their country must not be silenced or suppressed. They stress that Afghan youth must be given educational opportunities and that their futures should not be held hostage.
These students are also urging the Russian government to engage with the Taliban to resolve this issue and ensure that this educational opportunity is not taken away from Afghanistan’s youth. According to them, the Taliban had also blocked Afghan students’ access to education in Russia in the past, but Russia helped students receive their study visas through Iran and gain admission to relevant universities. The students insist that if the Taliban does not permit their travel, Russian embassies in neighboring countries should collaborate to ensure they receive their study visas and continue their education in Russia.
Ahmad (pseudonym), one of the students, says that after passing the competitive exam, he submitted all his documents to the Russian embassy for administrative processing. He was at a stage where universities would soon be determined and invitations would be sent for visa issuance. He explains that, according to the original plan, students were supposed to travel to Russia in September of the previous year, but the processing of their documents was halted, and it has now been revealed that the Taliban have blocked this process. According to him, students were told that this was a technical issue and would be resolved soon, but after three months, on September 16 of the previous year, the head of the Russian House of Science and Culture announced that the issue had not been resolved.
Ahmad adds that students met again last week with officials from the Russian embassy and the Russian House of Science and Culture. According to him, the Russian officials informed them that the issue was not on Russia’s side, but rather was created by the Taliban. He says that the Russian House of Science and Culture emphasized that the Taliban Ministry of Higher Education is blocking the completion of these students’ documentation, and whenever the Taliban allow it, the process of completing their travel will continue.
Another student, speaking to the Hast-e Subh Daily, says that the officials at the Taliban Ministry of Higher Education told them that their “beliefs” would be corrupted in Russia, and that’s why they were not allowed to travel and study there.
Mohib (pseudonym), another student, says that he registered for this scholarship in September 2023 and was notified in April 2024. He adds that with happiness, he translated his documents and completed the medical examinations. According to him, in June of the previous year, the Russian House of Science and Culture created a WhatsApp group for them and announced that the technical issues would be resolved and students should be patient.
This student states that he repeatedly visited the Russian House of Science and Culture in Kabul, but they always claimed that the issue was a technical one that would be resolved. However, on 16 January 2025, they were told that the Taliban caused the issue, and despite numerous discussions, they were unable to convince the group.
Hussain (pseudonym), one of the students accepted for the Russian scholarship, says that after the visit of the Taliban Minister of Higher Education to Kazan, Russia, the request to cancel these scholarships was made. According to him, Taliban officials last week notified representatives of the students at the Russian embassy in Kabul that the scholarships had been canceled and stated they could not cooperate on this matter.
Meanwhile, some of these students, who wish to remain anonymous, say that the Taliban have close ties with Moscow, and the group’s officials enjoy traveling to Russia. They cite media reports claiming that the Taliban received money from Russia for every American soldier killed during the war against foreign forces in Afghanistan.
Previously, the American magazine Insider reported that Russia’s military intelligence agency had supported the Taliban during the presence of foreign forces in Afghanistan, regularly sending money to the group. According to the report, Russia paid the Taliban an average of $200,000 for each American or coalition soldier killed.
In 2023, the Taliban Ministry of Higher Education also blocked the travel of about 500 male students to Russia. Neda Mohammad Nadeem, the Taliban’s Minister of Higher Education, told them, “You go as Muslims and return as Communists.” He also told these students, “You cannot tell the Russians that your religion is invalid.
You can read the Persian version of this daily report here:
رفاقت حلال، درس حرام؛ طالبان بار دیگر مانع سفر ۵۰۰ دانشجو به روسیه شدند | روزنامه ۸صبح
