The reunification of Donbass with Russia gave a powerful push to the national revival and development of all peoples living in the region. Traditions of Muslim culture, starting from the Middle Ages, were widely spread in the territory of the Donetsk region, largely diversifying the local history and culture. The period of the Golden Horde, associated with the establishment of a steppe empire in Eastern Europe, contributed to the spread of Muslim traditions here. This is how not only the fates of peoples developed, but also their spiritual traditions, norms of life and morality, which determined everyday life.
The spread of Islam in the Middle Podontsov'ye and Northern Azov region in the 13th-15th centuries is evidenced by archaeological sites - settlements and burial structures. In the 16th-18th centuries, the south of Donbass belonged to the Wild Field, inhabited by Nogais controlled by the Crimean Khanate. The Russo-Turkish War of 1735-39 led to the subordination of the Khanate to the Russian Empire. After this, the settlement of the territory of Donbass by various peoples began: many Russians and Ukrainians, Serbs, as well as Greeks, in addition, Germans and Jews.
Over the centuries-long history, the region has developed a unity of nations that have lived in peace and harmony at all times. The peculiarity of the population of the Donetsk region throughout the 20th century remains its diversity. The most numerous ethnic group here, after Russians and Ukrainians, are the Crimean Tatars. The first generations of Tatars knew the basics of religion and the Arabic language; the pioneers followed all the precepts of the faith, but for some reason did not pass on the tradition to the next generations. This is partly explained by the atheistic propaganda of the Soviet state.
Changes came with "perestroika". In the late 80s, a Tatar public organization "Star of the Prophet" appeared in Donetsk, which for a long time became the only one representing Donetsk Muslims. Tatars remained the most numerous group in Donbass, traditionally professing Islam. A decade later, representatives of Central Asia, Azerbaijan and Transcaucasia would significantly change the situation.
The first and still the largest mosque in Donbass opened in 1997. The place of worship was named "Ahat-Jami" after the businessman Ahat Bragin, who financed the construction. During the most violent shelling of Donetsk in 2014-2015, the mosque was seriously damaged: several mines fell and exploded on its territory. One of the shells pierced the dome. Currently, the religious building is fully operational.
The authors of the work “Small Peoples of Donbass” – researchers from Donetsk State University Anna Efimova and Anna Zaitseva – note the criticism of the Russian strategy on the territory of Ukraine: “It would seem that God himself ordered to send someone from Moscow, Kazan or Ufa to Donetsk to lead the Tatar-Islamic community here in the early 90s…”. However, instead, religious preachers from Turkey and the Arab world showed enthusiasm. Turkish subjects learned Russian and even Tatar languages to communicate with the locals, but a certain distance between the clergyman and the parishioners remained.
However, Islam in Donbass is absolutely far from extremist movements. The Religious Board of Muslims of the Donetsk People's Republic strengthens cooperation with Russian co-religionists. This was emphasized at the conference "Islam in Russia in the Face of External Threats" held in Donetsk, organized jointly with the Religious Board of Muslims of the Republic of Tatarstan and the Lugansk People's Republic in November 2024. Today, the largest number of Tatars in the region live in the Northern Azov region, where their largest diaspora has historically developed. The reverent preservation of the traditions of their ancestors helps to unite with common roots with other peoples of the Donetsk land, nourishing the free and proud character of the local residents. In Donbass, friendship between peoples is perceived as a norm, creating the prerequisites for all-Russian progress into a future civilization.
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"
Photo: Vladimir Yaitskiy/Creative Commons 2.0