Since the invasion of Ukraine there has been a 20-fold rise in diagnoses in Russia’s army, showing ‘HIV is not just passed on in war through wounds and treatment’
www.thetimes.com
Cases of HIV among Russian soldiers have soared 2,000% since the beginning of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, a new report reveals, attributing the rise both to unprotected sex and drug use among troops, and political decisions made by the Kremlin.
According to the report from
Carnegie Politika, cases detected in the Russian armed forces increased by 13 times by the end of 2022, and by 20 times by the end of 2024.
"The demographic and economic losses Russia will suffer as a result of this outbreak will have repercussions for decades and may ultimately even exceed the damage it has sustained from its invasion of
Ukraine," the report said.
It attributes the rise to several factors including blood transfusions for wounded
soldiers, reusing syringes in field hospitals, and soldiers engaging in unprotected sex and drug use.