Demand to bring Apti Alaudinov to responsibility voiced before religious procession in Moscow

Orthodox activists have voiced a request to reinstate Schema-Abbot Gavriil, who was dismissed after his statements about Muslims, in the Valaam Monastery and to give a legal assessment to the Apti Alaudinov’s words about the Orthodox priest.

Video recordings from a rally, where the believers voiced their demand to conduct an investigation into the Apti Alaudinov’s statements about the priest, have been posted today by Telegram channels and communities, in particular, by the “Federation” Telegram channel.

In the video recording, a man is reading out an appeal, while hundreds of people are visible behind him. “We, citizens of Russia, Orthodox Christians, appeal to the leaders of the Russian Orthodox Church with the demand to reinstate Father Gavriil, the rector of the Sochi metochion. The highly respected pastor, priest, monk, preacher stated obvious facts about the huge number of migrants, united by religious principles, who are being brought to Russia. We consider it unacceptable to insult an Orthodox priest. The decision to remove Schema-Abbot Gavriil causes irreparable damage to the reputation of the Russian Orthodox Church. We also require the investigative bodies and military prosecutors to investigate and give a legal assessment of the statements voiced publicly by the official in the uniform of a general of the Russian army with regard to the Russian Orthodox priest,” claimed the man in the video recording.

The people who gathered behind the man are greeting his words with applause.

As follows from the video, the recording has been made near the Church of the Life-Giving Trinity in Khokhlovsky Lane in Moscow.

The Telegram channels that have posted the video recording state that thousands of people “gathered for a rally demanding the resignation of Apti Alaudinov.”

However, as follows from an entry posted on the “Russky Mech” (Russian Sword) Telegram channel, which positions itself as patriotic channel, a gathering of participants in the religious procession on the occasion of the Holy Trinity has been announced at the church building today.

This was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on June 8, 2025 at 06:54 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.