Russian Priest Warns Migrants Threaten the Future of Orthodox Society

During his Easter sermon on Sunday, a Russian Orthodox priest expressed concerns that labor migrants are coming to Russia to “replace” the native population.

Father Yevgeny, the leader of the Yekaterinburg diocese, remarked that “many thousands” of migrants entering the country perceive the Holy Russia of the Risen Christ as an outdated concept and present a “significant challenge to our entire Russian civilization.”

“Our laws and our tradition of peaceful inter-religious coexistence are unfamiliar to them. Many arrive not to integrate with us, but to take our place,” he stated.

He further commented that the influx of migrants “represents a threat not only to traditional Russian Christianity but also to peaceful Russian Islam.”

Although he did not specify any nationalities, his remarks seemed directed at migrants from Central Asian nations, who constitute a large portion of Russia’s labor migrant demographic.

Yevgeny, known for his anti-migrant stance, also criticized “corrupt officials” for issuing Russian passports to migrants and “dishonest judges” who punish “those opposing radicals” instead of addressing the migrants’ actions.

“Is Russia destined to become a desolate land, marked by sorrow and injustice like Syria? Will it end up as just a Wikipedia entry, remembered only as a place where great saints once resided? Or will we uphold both holiness and Orthodoxy among ourselves and in future generations?” he questioned.