Russia trying to recruit ‘last chance’ soldiers with HIV and STDs with promises of free healthcare if they fight against Ukraine
Russian President Vladimir Putin is allegedly conscripting sick Ukrainian civilians from occupied territories into his military by offering them life-saving medical treatment — a move critics are calling both desperate and inhumane.
According to a recent report by Carnegie Politika, the number of HIV-positive soldiers in the Russian military has surged dramatically since the invasion of Ukraine began in 2022. In just the first year, HIV cases among troops increased thirteenfold, and by the end of 2023, they had risen twentyfold.
While many of these recruits come from within Russia — including prisoners and individuals with chronic illnesses — new evidence suggests the Kremlin is also targeting civilians in occupied Ukrainian regions. In areas like Donetsk and Luhansk, where diseases like HIV and hepatitis are rampant, Russian forces have reportedly restricted healthcare access to only those holding Russian passports. This policy, experts say, is being used as leverage to pressure sick Ukrainians into enlisting.
Recruitment posters spotted in these areas bear chilling messages such as “This is your last chance,” specifically aimed at HIV-positive individuals, according to the Kyiv Independent. Despite promises of medical treatment, those who enlist reportedly receive minimal care and are quickly sent to front-line assault units with high fatality rates.
“There’s no real effort to treat these people or contain the spread of disease,” said Vira Yastrebova, director of the Eastern Human Rights Group. “It’s part of a broader tactic — sending the infected to the battlefield instead of dealing with the health crisis.”
The same pattern appears to be unfolding inside Russia. Despite existing laws that prohibit the conscription of individuals with HIV and other serious illnesses, reports suggest such individuals are increasingly being recruited. Exiled Russian journalist Olga Romanova believes this reflects a cruel strategy.
“It feels like Putin is using the war to eliminate people deemed expendable,” she said. “It’s easier for the state if they die on the front — no one will notice.”
Ukrainian troops have reportedly encountered captured Russian soldiers wearing color-coded bracelets — red and white — used by the Russian military to identify recruits with HIV or hepatitis, many of whom were conscripted from prisons.
The Kyiv Independent estimates that around 250,000 convicts have been recruited by Russia for the war, with approximately 40% suffering from HIV, hepatitis, tuberculosis, or similar conditions. Many were lured with the promise of healthcare, only to be treated as disposable fighters.
“They’re being used not just as soldiers, but as weapons,” said Iryna Yakovets, a legal advisor to Ukrainian HIV/AIDS NGO 100% Life. “Russia sends them to the front because they consider them worthless due to their illnesses.”
About Post Author
