Apti Alaudinov’s conflict with Orthodox priest creates precedent in practice of public apologies

It was “senior comrades” and not the demands of Orthodox activists who convinced Apti Alaudinov, the commander of the “Akhmat” special forces, to apologize to Schema-Abbot Gavriil. However, in the context of the practice of public apologies designed by the Chechen authorities, the case became unique of its kind.

Yevgeny Minchenko, the director of the Centre for Political Elites Studies of the Institute of International Studies at the Moscow State Institute of International Relations (known as MGIMO), Svetlana Gannushkina*, the chair of the “Civic Assistance Committee”*, Chechen political analyst Ruslan Kutaev* and Vera Alperovich, an expert at the “Sova” Research Centre* commented to the Caucasian Knot on the Apti Alaudinov’s apology to Schema-Abbot Gavriil.

Yevgeny Minchenko believes that the Apti Alaudinov’s apology was largely forced. “Considering the fact that he referred to his ‘senior comrades’ several times, I think that someone recommended him to apologize, and it is clear that it was not the Orthodox community. Someone of his supervisors or of top-ranking law enforcers played their role in suggesting Apti Alaudinov to apologize to the Orthodox priest,” Yevgeny Minchenko suggested.

The Apti Alaudinov’s apology is clearly formal in nature, the political analyst notes. “He states that he is apologizing based on the age principle, which is not the same as admitting that Orthodox priests should not be insulted. He notes that ‘the person is older than me, so, probably, I shouldn’t have called him an idiot.’ That is, the apology is very, very relative in nature,” Yevgeny Minchenko stated.

The apology with reference to age on the part of Apti Alaudinov could also be somewhat sincere, Svetlana Gannushkina* suggests. The human rights defender emphasizes that “respect for elders is instilled in Chechens from birth.”

“However, it is also possible that his own people have also put him (Apti Alaudinov) in his place. Ramzan Kadyrov knows the limits of his permissiveness very well. Pressure from the Kremlin is unlikely to have taken place: now priests are not in a position where the authorities consider them moral power. The authorities rather use them for their own interests and deprive those who are objectionable of their service posts. The form of a public apology has become commonplace in Chechnya,” Svetlana Gannushkina explained.

Ruslan Kutaev* also believes that the Apti Alaudinov’s apology is justified by the custom of respect for elders. “He could get carried away. For a Chechen, a Caucasian, a Muslim, a person’s age, regardless of their social status and affiliation with a particular religion or people, is a really important factor when building relationships. I think that when his anger passed, Apti Alaudinov probably really understood that, especially since he is a man of no small stature in the Russian military power. All of the above together resulted in his apology,” Ruslan Kutaev* stated.

The Chechen political analyst has also noted that Apti Alaudinov did not change his position regarding the priest’s hostile statements. “The main reason for the Apti Alaudinov’s apology was the priest’s age. But in essence, what Apti Alaudinov said was correct: this priest actually called all Muslims in Moscow terrorists, slandered, and libelled them. And, strictly speaking, he did not deserve anything else,” Ruslan Kutaev* believes.

Vera Alperovich also drew attention to the formal and conditional nature of the Apti Alaudinov’s apology. The expert of the “Sova” Research Centre* explains the apology with a wide public outcry. She believes that “a big scandal was brewing” due to the public exchange of insults and accusations.

The public apology of Chechen officials, who themselves have been demanding such apologies from others for many years, is somewhat unique, Vera Alperovich believes. The expert of the “Sova” Research Centre* has emphasized that demands for a public apology were even made to Ramzan Kadyrov after his statements concerning Alexander Bastrykin, the chair of the Investigating Committee of the Russian Federation (ICRF).

“From recent events, I remember how a lot of persons demanded from Ramzan Kadyrov to apologize for insulting Alexander Bastrykin. However, the case of the Apti Alaudinov’s apology is unique not because people demanded it, but because he apologized,” Vera Alperovich summed up.

This was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on June 9, 2025 at 10:50 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here. 

*Included by the Russian Ministry of Justice (MoJ) into the register of foreign agents.

**On April 20, 2015, information appeared on the website of the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) of the Russian Federation that the “Civic Assistance” Committee was included in the list of foreign agents.