8am: Vladimir Kulishov, Russian First Deputy Chief of the Federal Security Service (FSB), has said that the volume of drug trafficking from Afghanistan to Central Asian countries has doubled since 2021, specifically, after the Taliban took control of Afghanistan. According to Mr. Kulishov, last year, 3,500 tons of narcotics were seized in the Republic of Tajikistan alone, and added that this number had reached 1,700 in the first few months of 2020. Click here to read more (external link).