AIDS in Soviet Russia

'A profoundly shocking exposé of how Soviet and Russian state ignorance, misinformation, prejudice and cover-ups created an HIV/AIDS crisis of catastrophic proportions.' Peter Tatchell, LGBT+ and human rights campaigner ‘Rustam Alexander situates his fascinating and detailed history of the AIDS epidemic in Russia within a deep understanding of the events leading to the collapse of the Soviet Union. His account of an often overlooked part of the global AIDS story is an important addition to scholarship on both Soviet and HIV history.’ Dennis Altman, author of Homosexual: Oppression and Liberation ‘With clarity, nuance and remarkable humanity, Alexander exposes the struggles to counter the transmission of HIV, disinformation and fear during the Soviet Union’s twilight years. Though tragic and shocking, this riveting book also offers a message of hope by highlighting the activists who fought against institutional apathy and widespread stigma.’ Richard A. McKay, author of Patient Zero and the Making of the AIDS Epidemic ‘Churchill described Russia as “a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma”. Rustam Alexander’s book lifts the veil around the early AIDS pandemic in the country. Essential reading for students of contemporary Russian history, public health and epidemiology, it is a stark warning of the failure of interventions.’ Alan Whiteside, author of HIV/AIDS: A Very Short Introduction ‘Impeccable scholarship combined with an extraordinary depth of research. AIDS in Soviet Russia is an essential record of events told concurrently with the unravelling of the Soviet empire and outlining the appalling failures, neglect and violations of human rights inherent within that derelict and corrupt system. A master work.’ Derek Frost, author of Living and Loving in the Age of AIDS 'Rustam Alex­an­der’s new book provides a pre­his­tory of today’s crisis and opens a fas­cin­at­ing win­dow on the med­ical estab­lish­ment, polit­ical elites and, espe­cially, soci­ety of Rus­sia in the 1980s.' Kristin Roth-Ey, BBC History Extra 'Alexander’s straightforward narrative, largely based on Soviet press coverage, chronicles the spread of AIDS in the Soviet Union from the late 1980s, when the first cases of HIV infection were registered, up to the country’s dissolution in 1991.' Foreign Affairs -- .