Mosques in Crimea have been turned into a means of monitoring worshippers

The occupying authorities have turned Islam in Crimea into a tool of total control, replacing independent religious communities with clergy controlled by the Kremlin. Under the guise of fighting terrorism, the FSB is fabricating cases against Crimean Tatars on a massive scale.

This was reported by the civil society organization CrimeaSOS. 

At first glance, one might get the impression that Russia is very concerned about Islam, since more than 30 mosques have been built in Crimea since the occupation began. However, the reality is quite different. After the occupation of the Crimean Peninsula in 2014, Russia began rapidly establishing control over Crimea’s Muslims. 

Following the occupation, the Spiritual Administration of Muslims of Crimea, headed by Mufti Emirali Ablayev, was reorganized in accordance with Russian laws, which completely altered the nature of this institution. The organization and the mufti himself—who received Russian awards from the occupiers—became fully loyal to the Kremlin and began openly supporting the current authorities. As a result, all official mosques on the peninsula came under the control of a structure subordinate to the occupiers and the supervision of the FSB, and the religious life of Muslims was transformed from a private matter into an instrument of state control.

In October 2024, the so-called “Supreme Court of Crimea” dissolved the independent Muslim community “Alushta,” which had been operating legally since the 1990s under the auspices of the Yukhari-Jami Mosque. 

The formal reason for the dissolution was that the organization had not revoked the membership of its former leader, Lenur Khalilov. Security forces illegally arrested him back in 2019, and two years later, they were unjustly sentenced to 18 years in prison along with Ruslan Mesutov, on charges of alleged ties to “Hizb ut-Tahrir.”

Earlier in Ukraine, a special pretrial investigation was completed regardingAnton Dobosh, a former cleric of the Mukachevo Diocese of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, who became a military chaplain in annexed Crimea. He faces up to 12 years in prison.

Юлія Калабайда