Svyatoslav Kavurin, a Russian anthropologist recently released after 52 days in Taliban custody, said he was accused by the group of “spying for Russia and spreading propaganda against the regime.”
Speaking to the Russian news agency TASS, Kavurin explained that at first he was charged with smuggling and attempting to illegally export precious stones and cultural artifacts. “This was strange,” he said, “because every time I traveled to Afghanistan, I purchased and exported such items without facing any problems or consequences.”
Kavurin, who was arrested in Kunduz, said that once transferred to Kabul, the charges escalated to espionage and “propaganda against the Taliban.”
He noted that during his detention he shared a cell with a Chinese citizen who had been arrested for photographing a Taliban security checkpoint. According to Kavurin, Chinese authorities secured that man’s release in about 15 days.
Kavurin described the detention conditions as “completely acceptable.”
The anthropologist argued that the Taliban are “a product of Afghan society and an inseparable part of it,” adding that most people in Afghanistan are Muslims and therefore seek an Islamic regime.
He said he has traveled to Afghanistan three times—in 2023, 2024, and 2025—each time staying for two months or more. This time, he added, he plans to delay his next visit for at least two years.
Kavurin has conducted research in various provinces of Afghanistan, focusing on the country’s history. He believes that in eastern Afghanistan, particularly in Nuristan, communities have preserved elements of their pre-Islamic culture.
