A holdover from the Soviet era, Russia's military presence in Tajikistan is the largest that Moscow has in any former Soviet state. There are a combined 7,000 Russian troops at three military bases in Tajikistan, including one near the capital, Dushanbe, and one in the south near the border with Afghanistan. The renewed lease, which was set to expire at the beginning of 2014, will give Russia a long-term presence in a country that has become a key part of Moscow's broader security strategy. Russian Military Bases in Tajikistan Tajikistan, which plunged into civil war shortly after its independence from the Soviet Union, has continued to rely on Russia as a security guarantor . The country is riven with factionalism, and its poorly trained and equipped army following independence was not in a position to provide security against the numerous threats of the post-Soviet era.