The rapid seizure of power by the Taliban movement after the escape of the Western coalition from the country and the unwillingness of the official authorities to resist the pressure of the Mujahideen has put the Western world in a deadlock, writes Moscow correspondent Alexi Ivanov. The United States and its allies have spent 20 years, almost $1 trillion, and have suffered considerable human and material sacrifices in order for the "democratic fairy tale " to collapse in an instant. What will happen in this country now and how will the new realities affect stability and security in the region and beyond?

As expected, Moscow reacted quite harshly and acrimoniously to the US withdrawal from Afghanistan.

“The seizure of power by the Taliban is not a transfer of power in Afghanistan according to certain agreements, but the result of the failure of the United States in Afghanistan,” said the special representative of the president of the Russian Federation, director of the Second Department of Asia of the Russian Foreign Ministry Zamir Kabulov.

"I think the authors of such ideas are trying in some way to justify the failure of the Americans in Afghanistan and file a case that this is a planned action," Kabulov said, commenting on suggestions that the transition of power in Afghanistan was the result of certain agreements.

The capture of the Afghan capital of Kabul by the Taliban movement at the same time came as a surprise, Kabulov noted. "To a certain extent, yes, it came as a surprise, because we proceeded from the understanding that the Afghan army, whatever it is, will still resist for some time," the Russian diplomat said.

According to the Russian Foreign Ministry: "The United States does not yet understand what to do next in Afghanistan."

Unexpectedly, there came some sharp comments about the withdrawal of Americans from Afghanistan from the Baltic States, which, as it is known, always unconditionally support the United States in world affairs and actively participated with their military contingents in the Afghan operation.

Former Estonian Foreign Minister Urmas Reinsalu said that the West had greatly miscalculated in the forecasts, as a result of which they now have to evacuate their embassies from Kabul in a hurry.

And, according to him, the United States is to blame, which unilaterally decided to withdraw its troops, that is why the Taliban cannot be stopped.

Now, in addition to the Iraqis, another stream of refugees from Afghanistan may rush to the Baltic States, Reinsalu added. It is noteworthy that similar opinions are heard from other Baltic capitals, for which the flow of refugees from the Middle East across the borders with Belarus has become a big problem.

In turn, Latvian Defense Minister Artis Pabriks said that he was approached by the former mayor of the Afghan city of Meimene and asked for asylum. At one time, the military of the Latvian contingent were stationed in this province.

Speaking about the tragic events in Afghanistan, the Defense Minister at the same time called the unconditional withdrawal of the Western armed forces a "mistake".

As for Russia, it remains perhaps the only country that did not evacuate its embassy and diplomats from Kabul. According to the Russian Foreign Ministry, "nothing threatens the embassy yet" and it will continue its work in "normal mode". At the same time, Moscow is in no hurry to recognize the power of the Taliban, saying that this issue will directly depend on "the further behavior of the new authorities." It was announced that the Russian ambassador in Kabul has already scheduled a meeting with the new authorities represented by the Taliban, apparently to discuss security issues and other topical issues.

Taking into account the dramatic change in the situation in Afghanistan, Russia continues to actively assist its allies in Central Asia-Uzbekistan and Tajikistan, which have long borders with Afghanistan and have already faced a flow of refugees from this country. Moscow is very closely monitoring possible threats to the security and stability of the Central Asian region.

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