Apti Alaudinov, commander of the Akhmat special forces and deputy head of the Russian Defense Ministry’s Main Military-Political Directorate, has published, together with imam Magomed Khiytanaev, the book “The Army of Jesus (Isa, peace be upon Him) in the battle against the army of the Dajjal-Antichrist.” The authors present it as an ideological justification for an alliance between Orthodox Christians and Muslims united by war against “satanism,” the West, and Russia’s opponents.
The book was presented on October 15, 2025 at an Akhmat base. Alaudinov said it answers the questions of “why we are all together” and “what we are fighting for.” The text speaks of defending religion, life, property, lineage, and reason, and cites Quranic passages used to justify armed struggle.
The publication drew a sharp reaction from part of the Russian Orthodox Church. At a seminar at the Moscow Theological Academy on February 5, 2026, priest Sergei Fufaev said the book contained ideas incompatible with Orthodox doctrine: a single God for Christians and Muslims, a shared understanding of Jesus as a prophet, and a future joint earthly army.
This assessment was supported by Archbishop Savva (Tutunov), who called Alaudinov’s ideology unacceptable and contrary to Orthodoxy. In response, writer Igor Molotov, who is close to Akhmat, harshly attacked representatives of the missionary department, while Alaudinov said that Christians and Muslims have a “common enemy” and that doctrinal differences do not make them enemies.
After the liturgy on Forgiveness Sunday, February 22, 2026, Patriarch Kirill effectively backed Alaudinov’s line, saying that Western churches converted into mosques at least preserve prayer to God. Against this backdrop, the dispute over the book became a public clash between church critics of a syncretic wartime ideology and its supporters.