Valaam Monastery dismisses priest after Alaudinov’s reaction to his words about Muslims

Schema-abbot Gavriil, who stated in his sermon that Muslims, on orders of a mullah, could slaughter all residents of Moscow, has been dismissed from his post as the head of the Sochi stead of the Valaam Monastery. The dismissal of Schema-abbot Gavriil followed a demand for an apology voiced by Apti Alaudinov.

Starting from June 5, 2025, Schema-abbot Gavriil (Vinogradov) has been dismissed from his post as the head of the Sochi stead of the Valaam Monastery and the attached skete, the Valaam Monastery’s Telegram channel reports today.

In his Sunday sermon, Schema-abbot Gavriil mentioned the crowds of believers during Eid al-Adha on Peace Avenue in Moscow. Schema-abbot Gavriil noted that during the holiday, “the entire space is covered with people” on Peace Avenue in Moscow.

“And these are healthy men, who do not drink alcohol, who wrestle and go to gyms for training. This is a whole army. And if one fine day a mullah orders them to slaughter residents of Moscow, then, believe me, they will do that quickly. And the Ministry of Internal Affairs will not even have time to do anything. And the result will be very sad,” follows from a fragment of a video posted on May 30 by the “Ostorozhno, Novosti” (Beware the News) Telegram channel.

Already on May 31, there was a reaction from Muslim religious figures to the Orthodox priest’s statements. Nafigulla Ashirov, the Chairman of the Spiritual Administration of Muslims (SAM) of the Asian part of Russia, called the Orthodox priest’s statements a provocation, noting that Patriarch Kirill should intervene in the situation.

“I think that the respected Patriarch should condemn such statements by his followers in the same way that we condemn those who cross the line of what is permitted in Islam and embark on the path of terrorism. I believe that the head of the Russian Orthodox Church should also condemn such statements, because they absolutely do not correspond to the spirit and reality in which believers of various faiths live in our united country today,” stated Nafigulla Ashirov, the Chairman of the Spiritual Administration of Muslims (SAM) of the Asian part of Russia, as quoted by the “Podyem” (Rise) publication.

Nafigulla Ashirov has emphasized that a mullah cannot order killing, since this is “the greatest sin.”

Apti Alaudinov, the head of the “Akhmat” special forces, demanded an apology from the Orthodox priest to Muslims, and on June 4, he made offensive remarks about the priest. “Why are no criminal measures being taken and why are no criminal cases being instituted? Why, if he is old <....>, is he not obliged to apologize at least,” the head of the “Akhmat” special forces claimed in a video posted on his Telegram channel on June 4. Apti Alaudinov several times used a term that derogatorily characterized the priest’s mental abilities.

The Apti Alaudinov’s reaction to the Orthodox priest’s words followed the story with the kidnapping of blogger Areg Schepikhin in Moscow, which provoked a wide public outcry.

This was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on June 6, 2025 at 11:47 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.