How will the current war affect harm reduction in Russia? We asked two experts, Michail Golichenko and Alexei Lahov, to share with us their prognosis.
Russia
Russian Harm Reduction NGO Fights Foreign Agent Status – Interview with Alexei Lahov
The Charitable Fund Humanitarian Action in Saint Petersburg is fighting back against the crackdown on harm reduction organisations: a court recently annulled the government decision to include them in the infamous foreign agent list. We interviewed Alexei Lahov, Director of Development of the NGO.
The award winning animated documentary Kostya Proletarsky is now available online!
The animated documentary is based on the true story of Kostya Proletarsky, a drug user and HIV activist who died as a result of mistreatment and torture at a Russian prison. The animation features original audio interviews with Kostya and his mother Irina, and aims to commemorate Kostya and many others who have not survived prisons around the world.
Russian Politician Threatens Harm Reduction Activists with Imprisonment
Vitaly Milonov, a Russian government politician notorious for anti-gay and antisemitic remarks, has found a new enemy: The Andrey Rylkov Foundation, a harm reduction organisation in Moscow.
Ivan Anoshkin. Survivor
Ivan Anoshkin’s life is a chronicle of the state’s crimes against human beings and his path to strength, truth, and freedom.
Imprisonment for up to 15 years for using the word “drug” on the Internet
On February 10 the deputies of the Russian parliament adopted, in the third and final reading, a bill to increase the sentence for “inciting use of drugs” on the Internet to 15 years.
TAKING BACK WHAT’S OURS! – Episode 9. Russia, Georgia and Ukraine
In today’s episode of the oral history of the movement of people who use drugs, we travel to three Eastern European countries, where activists fight very restrictive drug policies.
Surviving the COVID-19 Era: Stories of People Who Use Drugs from Russia, Ukraine and Norway
The struggle of people who use drugs for survival, dignity and harm reduction in three counties in the COVID-19 era. Read the intriguing report of our intern, Hannah Taylor!
Nonexistent? We Exist!
NONEXISTENT? We Exist!
A documentary on the inspiring efforts of communities
working on the streets of Russia to try and halt the HIV epidemic.
About the Film
‘Nonexistent? We Exist!’ is a documentary film about the communities of people living with HIV in Russia.
It tells the story of how the members of the most vulnerable communities affected by the HIV epidemic, such as drug users, sex workers, and LGBTQ people, struggle for survival and dignity in a hostile cultural and political environment. Through their eyes, it shows the successes and challenges civil society organisations face when they implement HIV prevention, treatment, and care services in 7 Russian cities: Moscow, Saint Petersburg, Yekaterinburg, Naberezhnye Chelny, Almetyevsk, Kazan and Kaliningrad.
The movie is not only about these communities - it was produced by the members of the same communities.
Created in partnership with Drug Users News and with support from Rights Reporter Foundation, the film reveals street outreach work, interviews with clients, personal success stories, and the continuous fight for one's life - all sides of the Program which are not often shown in official reports, yet remain some of the most important.
The film summarises the life saving efforts funded by the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. One of the main issues regarding this work is the lack of mechanisms for continuous funding of these vital efforts, which needs critical attention from Russian and foreign donors. Our film allows you to find out exactly what funding can go towards for the continuation of this work, which is so important for the preservation of services and support for people whose right to health is not always fully upheld due to various barriers.
Still images from the film and the filming process
Credits
Camera: István Gábor Takács and Alexei Kurmanaevskii
Editing & post production: Igor Kuzmenko
Screenplay: Alexei Kurmanaevskii and Igor Kuzmenko
Titles & posters: Igor Kuzmenko
Narration: Alexei Kurmanaevskii
Translation: Pоlinа Tal Meltzer
Produced by DUNews, with support of Rights Reporter Foundation, Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network and "The Candle" Charity Fund.
Producers: Peter Sarosi, István Gábor Takács, Michail Golichenko, Alexei Kurmanaevskii, Igor Kuzmenko, Maria Jakovleva and Alena Asaeva.
Crackdown on Civil Society – The Movie
This film – produced by the Rights Reporter Foundation, supported by AFEW International – features activists and civil society organisations who are being increasingly targeted by repressive governments in Eastern Europe and Central Asia. The movie presents a story of oppression, resistance and survival seen through the eyes of human rights defenders. They dedicated their lives to support the human rights of some of the most stigmatized and criminalised groups in Eastern Europe and Central Asia to be able to access health services.
