Washington (CNN) The Kremlin's ambitions in the Middle East reach far beyond Syria, according to US officials.

From Afghanistan to Libya, US Pentagon officials are increasingly concerned by mounting Russian military and diplomatic activity they believed is aimed at undermining the US and NATO.

Some of the actions Moscow is accused of participating in include sending operatives to support an armed faction in Libya and providing political legitimacy -- and maybe even supplies -- to the Taliban in Afghanistan. These moves come on top of their overt dispatching of warplanes and ships to target the political opponents of its ally in Syria.

"It is my view that they are trying to increase their influence in this critical part of the globe," Gen. Joseph Votel, who oversees US forces in the region, told the Senate Armed Services Committee earlier this month.

Military commanders and analysts see Moscow's efforts as aimed at taking advantage of the geopolitical turbulence in the Middle East to re-establish Russia as a major player in the region and by extension the world stage.

The Soviet Union maintained a substantial military presence there during the Cold War, propping up an array of anti-Western regimes to counterbalance American partners and extend its geopolitical sphere of influence.

But shifting alliances, including a rapprochement between the US and Egypt, as well as the collapse of the USSR in 1991 caused Russian troops to mostly depart the Middle East.

"Russia is certainly expanding its influence and trying to reestablish itself as a superpower," Bill Roggio of the Washington-based Foundation for the Defense of Democracies told CNN.

Russian imperialism?

Roggio, managing editor of The Long War Journal, said the efforts were a new form of "growing Russian imperialism" that were also intended to "undermine the US and NATO."

"What all these Kremlin actions show is that Putin cares more about dividing and undermining the West than anything else," Anna Borshchevskaya of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy told CNN.

In Afghanistan, US intelligence agencies once backed an insurgency aimed at ejecting Soviet troops in order to weaken an overextended Moscow. The Soviet Union's costly 1979 invasion of Afghanistan involved tens of thousands of ground troops and resulted in a damaging withdrawal in 1989 that many historians view as precipitating the fall of the USSR.

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Now American military officers see a growing Russian effort to bolster the Taliban's legitimacy and undercut NATO's military effort there, seemingly disregarding the harsh lessons of its previous invasion -- or perhaps seeing a chance at ironic form of revenge for America's Cold War efforts.

America's top military officer in Europe, Gen. Curtis Scaparrotti, said Thursday that Russia had increased its support to the Afghan Taliban, including potentially the provision of supplies.

"I've seen the influence of Russia of late, increased influence in terms of association and perhaps even supply to the Taliban," Scaparrotti told members of the Senate Armed Services Committee.

Scaparrotti, who is also NATO's top military commander, did not specify what kind of war materiel the Russians might be supplying to the Taliban.

Moscow denied the accusation Friday.

Moscow: False claims

Zamir Kabulov, a Russian Foreign Ministry official, told Russian state media Ria Novosti, "It is an absolutely false claim, we have reacted to this multiple times. It doesn't deserve any reaction as these announcements are inventions, designed to justify the failure of the American political and military campaigns. We cannot find any other explanation."

Votel and the commander of international forces in Afghanistan, Gen. John Nicholson, have both previously said that Moscow is trying to undermine the government in Kabul and provide political legitimacy to the Taliban by saying the insurgent group was fighting ISIS, a notion that experts and NATO military officials reject.

Roggio said that while there had been reports of Russia arming the Taliban in the past, he called Scaparrotti's comments the "first significant" official remarks on the issue.

Of particular concern to US officials was a series of meetings held in Moscow in December concerning Afghanistan's future, which included neighboring countries with Taliban representatives reportedly on the sidelines but no representation from the internationally recognized government in Kabul.

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Moscow's actions in Afghanistan in particular are seen as part of a bid to undermine NATO and to better their position in the case of a Taliban victory should the US withdraw from the country.

In Libya, US military intelligence has detected Russian forces at an airbase in far western Egypt close to the Libyan border, a deployment that US officials see as part growing Russian interference in that civil war-torn nation.

While the US would like to see the UN-backed Government of National Accord in the country's west prevail over, Russia has been reaching out to Gen. Khalifa Haftar, a military commander who exercises control over the country's east as well.

Gen. Thomas Waldhauser, the commander of US troops in Africa, called Russian activities in Libya "very concerning" while appearing on Capitol Hill alongside Votel earlier in March.

"They are on the ground, they are trying to influence the action, we watch what they do with great concern," Waldhauser elaborated while speaking to reporters at the Pentagon Friday.

"In addition to the military side of this, we have seen some recent activities in business ventures, whether its oil, whether its weapons sales," he added.

It's a concern recently echoed by the NATO Deputy Secretary General, Rose Gottemoeller, who drew attention to Moscow's presence in Libya.

"I am very concerned about Russian forces seemingly gathering to influence the situation there. It troubles me very, very much," she told an audience in Brussels on Saturday.

Russia engages both sides in Libya

Russia has engaged repeatedly with Haftar, even going so far as to fly him out to a Russian air craft carrier for a formal visit. But the Kremlin also recently hosted the Prime Minister from the rival Government of National Accord.

"Russia is trying to exert influence on the ultimate decision of who becomes and what entity becomes in charge of the government inside Libya," Waldhauser said earlier this month, saying that Moscow was trying to replicate what it had achieved in Syria, where it has amassed considerable influence by being the military savior of the embattled regime.

Analysts see Moscow's support of secular strongmen in Syria and Libya while simultaneously offering some support to the Taliban in Afghanistan and working with Iran in Syria as indicative of Russia's willingness to forgo ideology as it seeks to expand its influence.

Borshchevskaya of the Washington Institute, who focuses on Russia's role in the Middle East, added that Moscow appears particularly interested in the Mediterranean, and through its diplomatic efforts and stationing of military assets, is seeking to boost its presence there, as it's traditionally been a stronghold of NATO.

Photos: Photos: 10 years of war in Afghanistan – The U.S.-led war in Afghanistan started on October 7, 2001, in response to the 9/11 attacks. Ten years later, look back at some of the moments and key development from the conflict, which has drawn praise and criticism since its beginning. Hide Caption 1 of 23 Photos: 10 years of war in Afghanistan – President George W. Bush responds to media questions in the East Room of the White House on October 11, 2001. It was his first prime-time press conference addressing the U.S. response to the 9/11 attacks. Hide Caption 2 of 23 Photos: 10 years of war in Afghanistan – Northern Alliance soldiers maintain radio contact from a dug-in tank position in Oykhonum, Northern Afghanistan, on November 9, 2001. The opposition forces had been fighting the larger Taliban militias for several years before the U.S. airstrikes began. Hide Caption 3 of 23 Photos: 10 years of war in Afghanistan – U.S. Army Lt. Col. Ed Dorman teaches an English class near the Bagram Air Base on April 20, 2002. As the base commander, Dorman decided to teach English to the local students to empower them to educate themselves. Hide Caption 4 of 23 Photos: 10 years of war in Afghanistan – Afghan protesters chant against the U.S. during an anti-America demonstration in Kabul on May 24, 2003. Hide Caption 5 of 23 Photos: 10 years of war in Afghanistan – Afghan militiamen stand with a rocket launcher during a disarmament ceremony in Gardez on November 13, 2003. About 600 militiamen turned in their guns during the disarmament program. Hide Caption 6 of 23 Photos: 10 years of war in Afghanistan – Explosives that were hidden in a handcart lay on the ground in Kabul on July 3, 2004. In an effort to foil the country's first presidential election, the Taliban swapped broader offensives for homemade bombs and guerrilla warfare techniques. Hide Caption 7 of 23 Photos: 10 years of war in Afghanistan – Election officials count ballots in Kabul, Afghanistan, on October 14, 2004. The country's first democratic election was held on October 9, and Hamid Karzai was sworn in as president in December. Hide Caption 8 of 23 Photos: 10 years of war in Afghanistan – Suicide car bombers kill an Afghan citizen and wound four others in Kabul on November 14, 2005. Another suicide car bomber killed a German soldier and wounded two other German soldiers, as well as three civilians, an hour before. Hide Caption 9 of 23 Photos: 10 years of war in Afghanistan – An Afghan soldier accompanies CNN's Anderson Cooper on September 9, 2006, during a visit to Jalalabad, the site of Osama bin Laden's former compound. Hide Caption 10 of 23 Photos: 10 years of war in Afghanistan – U.S. soldiers disembark from a Chinook helicopter in the Ghazni province of Afghanistan on May 28, 2007. President Bush called on NATO in February 2007 to increase troops in Afghanistan. There were already about 50,000 U.S. and NATO troops there. Hide Caption 11 of 23 Photos: 10 years of war in Afghanistan – A solider looks on as C-117 plane drops food, water and other supplies onto a landing zone at an undisclosed location in the Ghazni province on May 29, 2007. Hide Caption 12 of 23 Photos: 10 years of war in Afghanistan – Artilerymen await coordinates before firing a 155-mm Howlitzer from Camp Blessing in the Kunar province of eastern Afghanistan on October 22, 2008. Their unit, Charlie Battery, 3rd Battalion of the 321 Field Artilery, is the busiest artilery unit in the U.S. Army, according to military officers. Hide Caption 13 of 23 Photos: 10 years of war in Afghanistan – Afghan elders of the Korengal Valley arrive for a meeting with U.S. and Afghan military officials on October 30, 2008, in eastern Afghanistan. The officials tried to convince them to accept a new paved road through the valley as part of a large American development project. The elders refused. Hide Caption 14 of 23 Photos: 10 years of war in Afghanistan – President Bush speaks to troops during an unannounced visit to Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan on December 15, 2008. It was his second and last visit as president. Hide Caption 15 of 23 Photos: 10 years of war in Afghanistan – A U.S. counter-intelligence Marine and his translator meet with local Afghan villagers on March 23, 2009, in Kirta, a remote area of southwest Afghanistan. Troops rely on information from local residents, many of whom are opium poppy farmers, to help thwart Taliban attacks. Hide Caption 16 of 23 Photos: 10 years of war in Afghanistan – Afghan men cast their votes at a polling station in Kabul on August 20, 2009, during the country's second democratic election. Voting fraud allegations lead to the scheduling of a presidential runoff vote on November 7. Hide Caption 17 of 23 Photos: 10 years of war in Afghanistan – President Karzai prepares to kiss a large copy the Quran during his swearing-in ceremony in Kabul on November 19, 2009. He was elected to a second term by default when Foreign Minister Abdullah Abdullah dropped out of the race and the run-off election was canceled. Hide Caption 18 of 23 Photos: 10 years of war in Afghanistan – U.S. Marines jump over a wall in a poppy field under heavy fire in a Taliban stronghold area in northern Marjah on March 25, 2010. Afghan poppies, which start as flowers in farmers' fields and often wind up as heroin on U.S. streets, fuel a $3 billion a year industry in Afghanistan. Hide Caption 19 of 23 Photos: 10 years of war in Afghanistan – President Barack Obama visits with troops at Bagram Air Base on March 28, 2010. Obama thanked the Afghan people and U.S. troops for their sacrifices and vowed to reverse the Taliban's momentum. It was his first visit to Afghanistan as president. Hide Caption 20 of 23 Photos: 10 years of war in Afghanistan – President Obama, along with members of the national security team, watch in anticipation in the Situation Room of the White House on May 1, 2011. On May 2, in the early morning hours, a small group of U.S. Forces raid a compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan. In the ensuing firefight, al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden is killed. Hide Caption 21 of 23 Photos: 10 years of war in Afghanistan – Nicole Merkt greets her husband, Spc. Jake Merkt, from his return from Afghanistan during a welcome home celebration in Carson, Colorado, on July 9, 2011. In June, President Obama announced that all of the 33,000 additional U.S. forces deployed to Afghanistan in December 2009 will return home within 15 months. He also announced that U.S. combat operations in Afghanistan would end by 2014. Hide Caption 22 of 23 Photos: 10 years of war in Afghanistan – U.S. Army flight medic Brandon Lowther, left, holds hands with a fatally wounded U.S. soldier who is being airlifted on August 24, 2011. With 71 casualties, August was the deadliest month for U.S. forces in Afghanistan since the conflict began. Hide Caption 23 of 23

But faced with an economy battered by low oil prices and international sanctions over its actions in Ukraine, Russia interventions are being waged largely on the cheap.

Outside of Syria, Moscow has largely avoided a robust military intervention, preferring clandestine aid and diplomatic maneuvers.

"Putin appears quite cognizant of his limitations and is avoiding a second Afghanistan scenario for Russia," Borshchevskaya said.

The less ambitious involvement, according to Roggo, means that, "For now it appears to be costs they can absorb."

And experts see Moscow's actions as taking advantage of what Putin viewed as a US pull back from the region following Washington's decision to not intervene in the Libyan or Syrian civil wars and its drawdowns in Iraq and Afghanistan.

"Broadly speaking, Putin has been stepping into vacuums wherever the West retreated," Borshchevskaya, said.