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Russia's GRU Paid Taliban Up to $250k Per Killed Soldier in Afghanistan, 18-Month Probe Finds

Jan 8, 2025, 05:17 PM

An 18-month investigation by The Insider and Der Spiegel has uncovered evidence that Russia's military intelligence agency, the GRU, paid tens of millions of dollars to the Taliban in Afghanistan to target American, coalition, and Afghan military forces. The operation, run by GRU Unit 29155, involved the use of a gemstone trading company as a front to funnel money to Taliban fighters and other militant groups through a network of Afghan couriers. The investigation identified GRU officers involved, including Lt. Gen. Ivan Kasianenko and Col. Alexey Arkhipov, and detailed how the program, which began around 2016, aimed to bleed U.S. forces at the end of America's longest war. The GRU reportedly paid up to $250,000 per killed NATO and Afghan soldier, with the total expenditure estimated at around $30 million.