Ukraine: HIV and AIDS activists protest against Kiev's policies

Dozens of people took to the streets of Kiev on Wednesday in protest after an AIDS patient memorial was damaged. The protesters built the symbolic monument on the hillside opposite the Cabinet of Ministers in protest against the government stopping the treatment of 20,000 HIV-positive patients. Ukraine has one of the highest rates of HIV and AIDS in Europe. It is believed that 1.3 percent of the Ukrainian population are HIV positive, though this number may have changed significantly given the research was conducted in 2010. The main threat within Ukraine from HIV and AIDS policy from central government is in the east of the country, where Kiev has banned all government support. Thousands are reportedly in need of opioid substitution therapy (OST), however are unable to get it due to the policies Kiev has enacted following the outbreak of conflict within the country.