‼️"We are not provided with proper treatment, LHC examination, and rehabilitation due to our HIV status"
Service members of the 37th Separate Guards Motorized Rifle Brigade (military unit 69647) of the 36th Guards Combined Arms Army (military unit 05776) recorded a collective video appeal in which they reported a violation of their rights, and also stated pressure and discrimination related to their HIV status.
"Due to the circumstances that developed inside the company, we ended up in the MP pit of the Melekino settlement of the DPR Republic. <...> We faced injustice and a direct danger to our life and health from our command"
According to them, they do not receive proper medical care, and also cannot achieve passing the LHC and referral to rehabilitation. In addition, the service members report threats and extortion of funds by the command.
"There are 14 of us asking for help and protection. Constant extortion of money in large amounts is taking place. On top of everything, we have wounds"
The service members fear for their lives due to threats of "zeroing out" by the command and appeal to the President of the Russian Federation, the Minister of Defense, and the Chairman of the Investigative Committee with a request to pay attention to their situation.
"During the last CO, they wanted to zero us out, also because of our status, scaring us by saying that our presence became illegal and that there are none and should be none of such people on the territory of the SMO."

https://t.me/ne_zhdi_novosti/6703

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[–] homes@piefed.world 8 points 1 week ago (3 children)

This is horrible. How are they even exposed to HIV in the first place?

[–] The_v@lemmy.world 14 points 1 week ago (1 children)

HIV infection is increasing in Russia. There is a very strong stigma in the country against those that are infected. So treatment is often insufficient.

https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanhiv/article/PIIS2352-3018(25)00272-3/fulltext

[–] homes@piefed.world 18 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (1 children)

Until recently, the epidemic was concentrated among key populations such as men who have sex with men, female sex workers, and people who inject drugs, but indications are that the epidemic has now expanded to the general population. For example, data for 2023 showed that, in at least 16 regions, the proportion of pregnant people with HIV had exceeded 1%, the threshold that is considered suggestive of a generalised epidemic.

Oh, wow, that’s fucking grim

[–] hexdream@lemmy.world 1 points 6 days ago

Wait until you hear about the HIV stats in South Africa.

[–] tal@lemmy.today 6 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Russia has its own opioid epidemic.

[–] hoch@lemmy.world 2 points 1 week ago

I'm wishing opioids the best on their war against Russians.

[–] BarneyPiccolo@lemmy.today 2 points 1 week ago

The same way people are exposed to HIV anywhere else. That question leads to discrimination, when certain modes of transmission get moralized.

If they were cancer victims, would you ask how they got their cancer?