PHOTOS AND INTERVIEWS: MISHA GALUSTOV COORDINATION: ALEXA KAROLINSKI

tarting in the 80s, AIDS hit the United States and Europe in two waves. First came the actual disease, the thing you can get that kills you dead. Then came the massive piles of info, stats, debate, and talk. Almost two decades later, we challenge you to find anyone with a high school education who can’t tell you something about transmission rates, anti-retroviral cocktails, and, most importantly, how not to get infected. But do you know where they know none of that stuff? Russia.

In a country where it’s widely believed that you can get the virus from sharing food, most HIV-positive Russians are forced to hide their illness from their relatives, friends, and colleagues. There’s not just a stigma around it—if you’re known to be infected, you will be fired and ostracized. As a result of this witch-hunt culture of shame, ignorance, misinformation, and shocking stupidity, Russia has one of the fastest growing rates of HIV infection in the world. UNICEF estimates that in 2005 there were 940,000 people in Russia living with HIV. Of these, it is believed that 160,000 were children infected by their mothers during childbirth.

HIV-infected mothers in Russia historically abandon their children after birth—either that or they hide the fact that their child has HIV. Of the many orphanages that exist in Russia, none officially house HIV-positive kids, but we recently decided to go to some Russian orphanages and figure out how exactly things worked. We were kicked out of five institutions and had to spend hours in a filthy police station after a security guard took away our camera before we found an orphanage that would let us come in and ask some questions and take some photos.

This facility is in the Vladimir Region, about 280 kilometers from Moscow. It’s kind of a drab Soviet-bloc-style building with a high fence and dogs at the entrance gate. The only reason I got in was because I accompanied NGO volunteers. It’s widely known that this is one of the places where HIV-positive kids get placed after they turn eight years old and can’t stay in specialized clinics. In this orphanage they live with other kids. I didn’t know which ones I interviewed had HIV, and neither did they.

 

Vice: How are you today?
Seryozha, 7 [right]:

They’re right. You could get a stomachache. How long have you been here?
Not very long. A few months or something.

Where were you before?
In a different home for children, but I didn’t like it there. I didn’t get along with the children and the nurses were unfriendly. There were many sick children there too.

What did they have?
I don’t really know. The nurses didn’t tell me.

Are you sick?
I get shots and pills every week, but I’m not sick. I can do anything. When you are sick you have to stay in bed and I don’t.

Do you know why you get medication?
I get pills so I don’t get sick. The nurses said that it’s easy to get sick in the winter.

Have you ever heard of HIV?
No.

Do you know your parents?
I met my mom last year. I don’t know my father. My mother told me that my father is a businessman and that he travels a lot and is very busy.

Are you in contact with your mom?
She called me on my birthday.

That’s great. What did she say?
“Happy birthday.” And she asked if I was happy and told me that she is sick.

What does she have?
She said that it’s something difficult to heal and that she is going somewhere else to live and that she might not see me again.
 

Vice: How was your breakfast today?
Alina, 10: What did you dream about last night? Have you been there? What is your day here like? Do you know much about your parents?
What do you know about God? Would you like to be adopted? Do you know about HIV or AIDS? Vice: Do you get along with the nurses here?
Seryozha, 10: Do you get punished a lot? Come on… That’s a classic. Are you in contact with your parents? Did your mom ever tell you why you are here? Do you believe that? Do you know what kind of problems? What’s your plan for the rest of the evening? Why do you have to take a pill? Do you know what she had? Vice: I like your haircut. Who did it?
Sasha, 13: Tell me about your girlfriend… Do you hold hands and kiss each other? Do you take medication? How often do you take medicine? What do you know about HIV? What else? What do you know about your mom? What do you know about your dad? What would you ask him if you met him?