Russia amid changing perspective of Afghanistan

... the highly important one is the narcotics supply. The civil war or dominating armed conflicts are not in the favor of Russia, Central Asia and the West. According to Ekaterina Stepanova’s research work, UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) reports ... ... percent of the total, while more traditional routes were more heavily utilized (53 percent through Iran and 33 percent through Pakistan). The share of heroin in Russia’s opiate consumption has also marginally declined. Afghanistan is of key significance to Russia’s wider Central Asian policy and its claim to a great power status, writes ...