MOSCOW, August 24. /TASS/. The family members of Russian diplomats were evacuated from Afghanistan before the Taliban militants (outlawed in Russia) seized power in Kabul, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Tuesday.
According to him, the Russian Embassy in Kabul is functioning as usual.
"There are certain agreements on ensuring the safety of our diplomats. The family members - women and children who are not the employees [of the diplomatic mission] were taken out of Afghanistan ahead of time," the Kremlin official said.
The Kremlin spokesman commented on the calls to extend the evacuation from Afghanistan of the nationals of the coalition countries that coordinated a military operation in that country. "We know that they (Western countries - TASS) have certain differences with the Taliban with regards to extending the deadlines. In this case, we are closely observing but we are not the participants of this process," he said.
The Kremlin official did not comment on assertions that Russian authorities are returning refugees, including women, to Afghanistan. At the same time, he emphasized that the Taliban’s rise to power in Kabul is "a de facto reality," no "decisions on a special status" of Afghan refugees in Russia were made.
On February 14, 2003, the Russian Supreme Court declared the Taliban to be a terrorist organization and its activities are outlawed nationwide.