Growing Russian influence in Eastern Europe is driving a worsening HIV epidemic, health leaders have warned, according to The Guardian.
Efforts to improve treatment and prevent infections are being obstructed by Russian disinformation and propaganda campaigns targeting key groups, including opioid replacement therapy services, which play a crucial role in reducing HIV risk among people who use drugs, as well as the LGBTQ+ community.
In Eastern Europe and Central Asia, new HIV diagnoses have surged by 20% since 2010, and AIDS-related deaths have increased by 34% – the fastest rate of growth worldwide.
Simultaneously, “foreign agent” laws, modeled after Russian legislation, have been enacted in several countries, forcing charities and organizations receiving international funding to register and comply with reporting requirements. As a result, some charities have been forced to close, as reported during a media briefing at the 25th International AIDS Conference.
Michel Kazatchkine, special adviser to WHO Europe, highlighted the growing Russian influence in neighboring countries, which includes funding security services and interior ministries.
“It’s further funding propaganda, and it’s conducting a rapid Russification of occupied territories,” he noted.
Kazatchkine provided an example of the impact of harmful Russian propaganda, citing that a fragile opioid agonist therapy program in Kazakhstan is now nearly closed. He had participated in a delegation that met with the country’s president to advocate for the program.
Natalia Nikitenko, a former member of parliament in Kyrgyzstan and a member of the Eastern and Central European and Central Asian Commission on Drug Policy, pointed out that many Central Asian countries have significant migrant workforces in Russia. Those who are HIV positive or use drugs fear bringing therapies with them due to the risk of deportation, she explained.
Meanwhile, in Ukraine, despite disruptions caused by the Russian war, the national HIV care program has resumed services, and the number of people on therapy has increased since 2022.
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