This is the story of Natasha Kaluzhskaya, a patient in an opioid substitution programme in Mariupol, Ukraine. Mariupol was completely destroyed by the Russian army in 2022. Under the bombs, Natasha rescued people who were using drugs. She managed to survive. And today she stands as a witness to the crimes of war in Ukraine.
Harm Reduction
LIFE UNDER OCCUPATION – Part V. We kept watching
We wanted to remember it, to make sure it would never be forgotten. On 29 August, the Ukrainian Armed Forces launched an operation to liberate the right bank of Kherson Oblast. And despite the regime of silence imposed by the General Staff, despite the disgusting communications, good news reached us from time to time.
LIFE UNDER OCCUPATION – Part IV. The ground was burning under their feet
Summer came to Kherson, with thick morning mists and frog concerts at night. Sweet cherries, juicy apples, and all of the many things that the soil generously provides began to appear. And with them came blackouts and mobile phone disconnection.
STRENGTH IN SOLIDARITY – The HR23 Summary Video
After three intense days the Harm Reduction International Conference came to an end today. If you could not make it to Melbourne, don’t worry: as always, the Drugreporter team was there to film. Watch and share! Updated with the opening, closing and press conference videos!
The HR23 Film Festival Programme
Drugreporter and Harm Reduction International co-organises the HR23 Film Festival next week in Melbourne, sponsored by Elton John AIDS Fund. This is the final programme of the film festival.
Has Scotland made any progress in the struggle against overdose deaths? An Interview with Angela Constance
Scotland retains the unwanted title of “Europe’s drug death capital”. How does the Scottish government tackle the problem? We interviewed Angela Constance, the former Minister for Drug Policy of Scotland, at the 63rd session of the UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs in Vienna in March – find the interview in both video and podcast format below!
The 66th CND Sessions
Drugreporter recorded six side events, organised by NGOs at the 66th UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs, between 13-17 March, 2023. The issues addressed are implementing a human rights approach in drug policy, the nordic drug policy reform, Ukraine’s harm reduction measures during Russian invasion, environmental impacts of the war on drugs and more.
LIFE UNDER OCCUPATION – Part II. Under the power of the Dementors
Imagine for a moment that you have been deprived of the ability to do the usual routine things; to leave the house whenever you like, to walk wherever you like, to go to the cinema, museums, or the theatre, to drink coffee with friends at the corner café, to buy something at the shop, to go to a neighbouring town or to another country. When – in one moment – you find yourself under occupation, you lose everything that your life consisted of.
LIFE UNDER OCCUPATION – Part I. The day that changed our lives
We found out about the war on the morning of 24 February. All the news channels were screaming about it. We were literally crushed by the news: missile attacks on Kiev, Odessa, Dnipro, Lviv, Ivano-Frankivsk… At the same time gigantic military columns were heading towards Kiev, Kharkiv, Kherson, Mykolaiv, Odessa…
A World Tired of Drug Prohibition: Impressions at the UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs
The Drugreporter team attended this year’s 66th session of the UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND), the largest annual global meeting on drug policies. This is a preliminary written report with some personal impressions – the videos are coming soon. The article has French and Russian translation!
