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100
Umerov Rustam Enverovych
Member of the Verkhovna Rada, Crimean Activist
Rustemov Aider Isayovich
Crimean Tatar religious and public figure
50
Media activity score based on the number of recorded publication changes.
Person score
Media activity score based on the number of recorded publication changes.
Person information
Prominent Ukrainian Crimean Tatar religious and public figure, since 2016 — Head of the Spiritual Administration of Muslims of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and Supreme Mufti of Crimea
He obtained higher theological education in Jordan (Al al-Bayt University) and, after the annexation of the peninsula by Russia, headed the religious administration on the mainland part of Ukraine, representing the interests of Crimean Tatars. Rustemov actively engages in international diplomacy, is a member of the All-Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organizations (AUCCRO), and of the Advisory Council under the President of Ukraine.
Confrontation with Kadyrov and threats
In the public and media sphere, the Mufti became widely known due to his uncompromising patriotic stance and exposing Russian propaganda. In 2023, at a mosque in Kyiv, he held a meeting and joint prayer with captured Russian military servicemen of Muslim faith, among whom were Kadyrovtsy. Rustemov publicly proved to the captives that their participation in the aggressive war against Ukraine is a religious crime and in no way can be called a "jihad." This incident sparked furious anger in the Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov, who recorded a video with personal threats and promises to take revenge on the Ukrainian Mufti.
Media mentions in business investigations
In summer 2026, Aider Rustemov's name unexpectedly appeared in investigations by Ukrainian journalists related to large construction contracts of the Kyiv Regional State Administration amounting to about a billion hryvnias. Media revealed that Rustemov historically was a co-founder of commercial firms together with other Crimean Tatar entrepreneurs (for example, Diaver Yakubov). Journalists emphasize that the activities of the Spiritual Administration of Muslims of Crimea under the Mufti's leadership are funded by the "Astem Foundation," which is directly connected to the family of the Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council Rustem Umerov, and Rustemov himself is a co-founder of the Kyiv religious community "Muslim Unity" together with former Deputy Minister of Defense Dmytro Klimenkov.
