Ukraine: Largest HIV Epidemic Looms Over Europe

While the European Union and pro-war countries are ramping up military aid, money for maintaining the health care system in Ukraine is being cut. Military support contributes to prolonging the war, further deepening the crisis in Ukraine’s healthcare sector. The situation is becoming increasingly alarming, particularly because of the spread of infectious diseases, including the HIV virus. Ukrainian healthcare professionals admittedly fear the outbreak of the largest HIV epidemic in Europe.

girl looks at quilts laid out in Kyiv’s Mikhaylovskaya Square on May 13, 2011. The quilts were made by people living with HIV in memory of AIDS victims in Ukraine. (Photo: AFP)

Experts say the situation is increasingly dire in Ukraine, especially due to the spread of infectious diseases like HIV.

We’ve never had such an apocalypse before,

Anzhela Moiseyenko, who heads the Chernihiv Network, a Ukrainian organization of people living with HIV, told Politico.

In the last two years, 75 percent of new cases in the Chernihiv region were in late stages of the infection — making it harder to treat and easier to pass on. 

Late diagnosis and less adherence to treatment are expected to worsen, Moiseyenko added.

It’s already hard to motivate someone, when after three years of war they can’t see any future,

she said. Ukrainian health services have already had a glimpse of what may lie ahead. Professionals are making massive efforts to maintain treatment for over 116 thousand people living with HIV, while some testing and prevention services may close, as urgent treatment needs take priority. 

🇺🇦 Ukraine is in the midst of a polycrisis—where war, a strained healthcare system, and HIV funding cuts are threatening the country’s HIV response.

Hear the message of Dmytro Sherembei of 100% Life, from the ground.

Latest updates from @unaids_ukraine: https://t.co/ukYrRm2JH4 pic.twitter.com/340VaKnvXL

— UNAIDS Global (@UNAIDS) April 29, 2025

Ukraine Is Doing Nothing

The difficulties are partly due to funding cuts in projects supported by USAID, the U.S. Agency for International Development. These cuts have affected both Ukrainian NGOs and government programs working to stop the spread of HIV. While the U.S. government did reverse its cuts to life-saving humanitarian aid for 90 days — and later extended this period by another 30 days — long-term funding remains uncertain.

Ukraine, meanwhile, is relying almost solely on U.S. funds and international health organizations in its effort to respond to this major public health emergency, contributing virtually no domestic resources to preventing the outbreak. Since the war began, more than 50 percent of Ukraine’s budget has been allocated to military spending and defense, leaving little to no funding for other services, including healthcare.

In recent years, international funding has kept Ukraine’s healthcare system afloat. Current medication stockpiles are expected to last only until November. Medical staff and patients fear they will soon lack the tools to fight this deadly infectious disease.

Situation Could Turn Dramatic, Experts Fear a Fast-Spreading Epidemic

The leader of one NGO said that deliveries of antiretroviral therapy (ART)—a daily, lifelong treatment that suppresses HIV replication—have already become unreliable. Ukrainian health authorities have directed medication supplies to the most vulnerable regions in an effort to prevent treatment interruptions.

Over the last two decades, seasoned Ukrainian NGOs have weathered several U.S. policy changes affecting HIV funding priorities, while keeping services running.

But now, experts say it is increasingly difficult as many countries are cutting health-related and other forms of aid while bolstering defense and security. Much of the funding is going toward military resources and war efforts.

Andriy Klepikov, executive director of Alliance for Public Health—one of Ukraine's and the region’s largest organizations fighting HIV and tuberculosis—hopes that countries will recognize the importance of stopping the spread of diseases like HIV.

The programs we implement are contributing to global security and economic stability,

he said.

Professionals who have fought against the spread of HIV over the past 20 years warn that if efforts are scaled back, there will be a swift and dangerous resurgence—potentially leading to the widespread return of AIDS and a full-blown HIV epidemic.

Cover photo: A girl looks at quilts laid out in Kyiv’s Mikhaylovskaya Square on May 13, 2011. The quilts were made by people living with HIV in memory of AIDS victims in Ukraine. (Photo: AFP)