Russia and the Afghan Taliban have signed a deal on repairing Soviet-era and Russian-made weapons, a seemingly small move in a larger game involving the US, Pakistan, and Moscow's efforts to curb Western influence.

The security provisions in recent agreements with the Taliban may reflect intent, but the more immediate benefit on the Russian side appears to be addressing the labor shortage.

Russia and the Afghan Taliban have signed a deal on repairing Soviet-era and Russian-made weapons, a seemingly small move in a larger game involving the US, Pakistan, and Moscow's…