August 24, 2010

Russian President Dmitri Medvedev played host last week to Afghan President Hamid Karzai and the leaders of Pakistan and Tajikistan at the Black Sea resort of Sochi. The group's second meeting in a year was a low-key affair, but the subtext was significant. Mounting Russian concerns that Islamist militancy and cheap drugs emanating from Afghanistan are a threat to its national security have made Moscow refocus on the region even as the U.S. and its NATO allies maneuver to draw down. Two decades after the Soviet army left Afghanistan in humiliating defeat, Russia is poised to spend billions in the war-wracked country to develop infrastructure, mineral and energy reserves, with new plans taking shape to boost military capability. This time around, it has America's blessing...

So far, Russian support of NATO operations has largely been limited to allowing ground shipments of nonlethal supplies to cross its territory and airplanes delivering weapons to fly through its airspace. Private Russian companies have been involved in transport logistics for years, of course. But Moscow may now actively complement NATO's work in Afghanistan. At NATO's behest, Russia is now negotiating the sale of at least 20 Mi-17 helicopters to the Afghan military — an interesting development given that the medium-sized craft were designed to fight the mujahedin during the 1980s. Defense Minister Sergei Lavrov has also confirmed they will help train the Afghan air force and police, with a free shipment of weapons to kick things off.

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