For Afghanistan, this might be the only good thing; at least this country will still exist and won't become a nation that exists only in name like the Khiva Khanate controlled by Russia.
The United Kingdom has gained in the Central Asia region, and Spain has similarly gained in the Southeast Asia region.
It has been previously mentioned that Spain's Philippine Colony has two expansion directions, namely expanding on the island of Borneo and the island of New Guinea.
Between the UK and Russia, a buffer zone is needed because the British also fear the Russian army. Although the Russian army is not very effective in combat, its numbers are unrivaled across the whole of Europe.
Relying solely on indigenous forces from India is insufficient to resist Russia; mobilizing domestic troops would disrupt the balance the UK maintains in various regions.
But Spain doesn't need this at all. Spain only has one enemy in Southeast Asia, which is the small and sparsely populated Netherlands.
