Sergei Lavrov, the Russian foreign minister, asserted that Islam in Russia has entered a period of revival and growth, existing side by side with other traditional faiths in harmony. He shared these thoughts during the documentary project The Road to the Islamic World, where he spoke about the current spiritual climate in the country.
According to Lavrov, Islam in Russia is witnessing a renaissance and an unprecedented rise that coexists peacefully with the nation’s other traditional religions. This perspective was conveyed in the documentary and echoed by the minister as he described the evolving religious landscape within the Russian Federation.
In a separate discussion with the Parliament Newspaper, Alexander Shchipkov, rector of the Russian Orthodox University of John the Theologian and an adviser to the head of the State Duma, warned that persecution in Ukraine would impact not only Christians but also Muslims. He suggested that Washington has tasked Kyiv with a broader objective that would undermine Orthodoxy as a whole, not merely target the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in the country.
Shchipkov stressed that the State Duma of the Russian Federation did not raise concerns about the persecution of UOC clergy without reason. While he acknowledged that a direct response from foreign partners might not be immediate, he argued that it is essential to explore every possible mechanism to address the issue and uphold religious protections across the region.