On 17-21 November Idris Hakimov, chairman of the Muslim Society ‘Fatikha’ of Kolomna city district, made another trip to the combat zone. He handed over humanitarian aid to the fighters, congratulated them on the Day of rocket troops and artillery, wished everyone fortitude, confidence in our Victory and to return home alive to their mothers, wives and children. Idris Hakimov offered a prayer to the Almighty Creator for his mercy


When asked how many times he has been on the front line, Idris Galimzhanovich answers: ‘I can't remember exactly. Twenty times, and probably more. I have been travelling to the combat zone since the second half of 2022’. The chairman of the Kolomna MROM has been spiritually nurturing Muslim fighters of the 236th Guards Artillery Brigade, which is based in the Kolomna urban district, for eight years. Today, many Kolomna artillerymen defend the interests of the Motherland in the special military operation zone.


‘We provide humanitarian aid on specific requests. This is important. For example, in autumn the fighters need rubber boots, thermal underwear, socks, underwear, gas generators, cables. We raise funds in our Muslim community. We buy everything the soldiers need. Of course, our grandmothers will not leave the soldiers without honey. Our grandmothers collect half a tonne of honey for the soldiers - from the heart with the words: ‘Bismillah’. We also bought tangerines - twelve cases,’ Idris-Khazrat says. His son Eldar helps in this good deed.

The Kolomna imam drives all the ‘orders’ of the military personnel in his personal car. He has not been in any trouble. In the area of Svatovo-Kremenna on the way to the command post seven cars were burnt by enemy kamikaze drones. People miraculously, with God's help, as Idris-Khazrat believes, managed to save themselves.


Father Alexei, a priest from Kolomna, is a frequent travelling companion of Idris-Khazrat. He spiritually feeds the Orthodox fighters.


‘Batyushka often goes with me to the war zone. We go in my car. Father Alexei says: ‘It's more reliable with you.’ We have a common cause - we carry the Word of God to our soldiers,’ says Idris-Khazrat. - When we arrive at the place, he goes to the Orthodox soldiers, and I go to the Muslims. For the most part, I meet with soldiers on an individual basis. We talk about religious topics, I answer relevant questions. We recite dua together. I provide all Muslim soldiers with spiritual literature. We are together, and the Almighty is with us.


Once a month - for a week - Idris Khakimov goes to the front line, where they are waiting for him, knowing that he will fulfil the fighters' requests. But also in the Society of Muslims of Kolomna ‘Fatikha’ the work goes on in its turn.


Not so long ago - on the Day of National Unity - Idris-Khazrat gathered active parishioners and veterans. Over a cup of tea he told the members of the community about all the news, about co-operation with the administration of Kolomna city district, with law enforcement agencies, about providing assistance to the participants of the special military operation: ‘On the Day of National Unity my most sincere congratulations sounded for my dear and dear Tatar grandmothers, to whom I always say that they are my most reliable foundation’.

Yes, the imam has a lot to tell his fellow believers.  Idris Khakimov has an active civic position. The chairman of the Muslim community has a constructive working relationship with Ekaterina Lobysheva, a deputy of the Moscow Regional Duma: ‘We work with Ekaterina Lobysheva in the same direction, we strive to make our Moscow Region and our Russia more comfortable for any citizen of our country, regardless of nationality and religion, so I accepted her offer to work together as an assistant to the deputy of the Moscow Regional Duma. There are many issues that need to be addressed. And I am sure that we will solve them together’.


And the imam's morning on this festive day began with a visit to one of the military units of the Kolomna garrison. At the solemn formation the order of the commander of the unit on encouragement of the personnel conscientiously fulfilling their military duty was delivered to the servicemen. The commander of the unit presented the medal ‘For Combat Merits’ to one of the servicemen who came to the military unit for rehabilitation after the third wound in the NWO. The soldier served as an attack pilot in one of the military formations. The conscript soldiers, who conscientiously fulfilled their duty, were awarded certificates from the unit commander, and were awarded the next military rank - non-commissioned officer. In his farewell speech Idris-Khazrat wished all soldiers to conscientiously learn military science, to be a model in everything. ‘A prepared and trained soldier is a living soldier,’ the imam emphasised.


Idris-khazrat knows about military training and military service not by hearsay.


Idris Hazrat is a hereditary military man, his father is a participant of the Great Patriotic War, a member of counterintelligence ‘Smersh’, the war ended in Koenigsberg, and then until 1947 fought with the Banderites in Western Ukraine, a colonel of the police. Idris Hazrat continued the baton of service to the Motherland in the military field. Idris Galimzhanovich is a graduate of the Perm Higher Command and Engineering School (PVKIU). He served as a combat engineer, chief of combat in Ukraine, continued his service in Transbaikalia at the command post of a missile division. He is a veteran of the Russian Armed Forces, has the military rank of Lieutenant Colonel retired in the Russian Armed Forces. Honoured with nineteen awards of the Motherland for service in the Armed Forces of the USSR and the Russian Federation. Among the awards - the Order ‘For Service to the Motherland in the Armed Forces of the USSR’ 3rd degree. There are also recent awards - the medal ‘For personal contribution to military-patriotic work among the participants of the Special Military Operation’, awarded by the Chairman of the Council of the All-Russian Public Organisation of Veterans of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, Army General V. Ermak, the medal ‘For personal contribution to military-patriotic work among the participants of the Special Military Operation’. Yermak, a medal ‘For Active Veteran Work’. Right on the front line Idris Khakimov was awarded the medal ‘For Assistance to the SVO’. The award was handed over by the commander of 53195 Guards Colonel Almaz Khaziev.


Idris Galimzhanovich was awarded with the gratitude of the spiritual leader of the Muslims of Russia, Chairman of the RBM of the Russian Federation, Chief Mufti Sheikh Ravil Gainutdin ‘For significant contribution to the preservation and dissemination of Islamic values in honour of the 1100th anniversary of the official adoption of Islam by the peoples of Volga Bulgaria’.

In 2011, Muslims of Kolomna municipal district elected Idris Hakimov as the chairman of the ‘Society of Muslims “Fatihah” of Kolomna city district’. Idris Galimzhanovich received a diploma of religious education in 2019. He graduated from the Islamic College of the Moscow region, specialising in ‘imam-hatib (clergyman-preacher)’.


In 2015, he was elected deputy chairman of the Kolomna branch of the Regional Public Organisation ‘Tatar National Centre of Moscow Region’ (ROO ‘TNC MO’). Idris Hakimov is a member of the Kolomna branch of the Moscow Regional Branch (MRB) of the All-Russian Public Organisation of Veterans of the Armed Forces.


Kolomna imam is active in conducting inter-confessional and interethnic dialogue. Under his special control events uniting representatives of different nationalities are held. Constant care - children, and first of all - children from incomplete families and children with disabilities, regardless of their nationality.    His civic position is expressed in preserving the integrity, unity, friendship and good-neighbourliness of all peoples of the Moscow Region and Russia.


With the support of Idris Khakimov in 2015-2023. annual festivals of national cultures, Kolomna poetry marathons, the festival of national cultures ‘Let's Hold Hands, Friends’, the district festival of nationalities ‘Under the Unified Sky’, the city open festival of artistic creativity of disabled children ‘We Open Our Wings’, as well as patriotic events in the libraries of the Kolomna urban district dedicated to the Great Victory, literary evenings in memory of the Hero of the Soviet Union poet Musa Jalil and the great Tatar poet Gabdulla Tukaya were held.


In 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2020. Idris Khakimov became a laureate of the competition of the Moscow Region Governor's Award ‘Our Moscow Region’. He was elected a member of the Public Chamber of the Kolomna City District four times.      He actively supports programmes aimed at the development of spiritual, moral and cultural values of Islam in the Russian society.


Today Idris Hakimov and Muslims of Kolomna help the defenders of the Fatherland. ‘Imams, who are now working in the zone of SWO do not have any legal status, just volunteers, that is people from the people with a burning heart and great love for the Almighty, with a sincere desire to help the defenders of the Fatherland. May we have more such imams who serve the Fatherland with the motto of the Airborne Troops - ‘No one but us!’’ - Idris Hazrat believes.


Sometimes it is difficult to understand how one person can manage to do so many useful things. Idris Hazrat himself says: ‘Everything with the help of the Almighty. We work for people. For the good of the Motherland and for the sake of Allah Almighty's pleasure.

Nina Zotova