Russia closed the corridor for the supply of NATO forces in Afghanistan

The Russian government closed a key transport corridor that allowed the United States and its NATO allies to deliver supplies for the military contingent in Afghanistan.

This transit route was used from 2008 for the transportation of non-lethal goods, and from 2010 for the year - and military equipment.

The administration of President Barack Obama cited him as evidence that Washington and Moscow may find points of interaction, despite serious disagreements over Ukraine and tensions. on the border of Russia with NATO countries in Eastern Europe.

Russian news agencies reported that Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev signed a decree on closing the corridor. The official announcement of this was published on Monday.

The official reason for the ruling is the termination of the UN Security Council resolution authorizing the US-led military operation in Afghanistan after the September 11 attacks.

Despite the end of the mission in December 2014, an international contingent of about 12500 troops remained in Afghanistan, and the Taliban’s attacks against the Afghan government have increased in recent weeks.

The transit corridor through Russia was important for the United States and allied forces during some of the most violent clashes in the Afghan conflict, when the delivery of goods along an alternative route through Pakistan was hampered by the Taliban attacks and regular exacerbations of diplomatic relations between Washington and Islamabad.

According to the Washington Times, the use of the transit hub in Russia’s Ulyanovsk has declined significantly in recent years, but it was of great symbolic importance to both parties.

Russian observers see a clear political element in Medvedev’s ruling in light of Moscow’s dissatisfaction with Western sanctions in connection with Ukraine and the Crimea and suspicions that the NATO presence in Afghanistan will last indefinitely, the Washington Times notes.