Russia offered U.S. use of Central Asia bases for Afghan intel - paper

FILE PHOTO: Russian President Vladimir Putin answers questions about his article titled "On the historical unity of Russians and Ukrainians" in Saint Petersburg, Russia July 13, 2021. Picture taken July 13, 2021. Sputnik/Alexei Nikolskyi/Kremlin via REUTERS

MOSCOW (Reuters) - President Vladimir Putin in June offered U.S. counterpart Joe Biden the use of Russian military bases in Central Asia for information gathering from Afghanistan, the Kommersant newspaper reported on Saturday, as American troops leave the country.

Taliban fighters have made major advances as U.S. forces pull out after 20 years of war, a security headache for Moscow which fears refugees may be pushed into its Central Asian backyard and its southern defensive flank destabilised.