Russia maintains the highest proportion of HIV-positive population in Europe - intelligence
Kyiv • UNN
In 16 regions of Russia, there have been disruptions in tests for HIV-positive patients, which are necessary to assess therapy. Russia has the highest proportion of HIV-positive population in Europe, but is cutting funding and banning the activities of foreign foundations.
At least 16 regions of Russia have been experiencing disruptions in basic tests for HIV-positive patients since the beginning of the year – including viral load and immune status tests. Such tests are necessary to assess the effectiveness of antiretroviral therapy and should be conducted every six months. This was reported by the Foreign Intelligence Service of Ukraine, writes UNN.
Details
Failures were recorded in Dagestan, Bashkortostan, Samara, Tyumen, Kaluga, Orenburg, Rostov, Leningrad regions and other regions. In the Leningrad region, the volume of federal subsidies for diagnostics decreased by 35% since 2022, while the number of registered patients increased by 13%. In Bashkortostan, only 23% of the necessary tests were received in 2025, which forced the region to switch to an annual testing schedule.
Russia maintains the highest proportion of HIV-positive population in Europe – 1.5%. Despite this, given the total population, the country is systematically cutting funding for specialized programs.
In 2012, Russia ceased cooperation with the UNAIDS project, which invested over $680 million in HIV prevention programs. In April 2025, the Russian Prosecutor General's Office declared the activities of the Elton John Foundation, which supported HIV projects, including in prisons, as "undesirable." The organization was accused of "discrediting traditional values."