While he grew up in a largely Russian-speaking region, he now prefers to speak Ukrainian.
"I think it's disgusting when Russian Muslims support the war", he said.
Russia treats its ethnic minorities, many of them Muslims, as "people of low quality" and "uses them as cannon fodder" in the war, he said.
"It's no secret that most of the dead enemy soldiers are ethnically from Buryatia, Tuva, Dagestan, Tatarstan, Chechnya," he said, naming Russian regions with large numbers of Muslims and Buddhists.
"I'm absolutely sure that many Muslim fighters taking part in combat would like to fast... because in this case they feel even better with Allah's help," the Mufti Suleymanov told AFP.
Dressed in long robes and a white hat, he was elected mufti last November, replacing Ismagilov.
A soldier standing outside the mosque said he was fasting and that most Muslim soldiers do, unless they are on combat missions.
"When you are going right to the very front line, it's permitted not to fast. If it's not hot and you're not tormented with thirst, then you can fast," he said.
