Story

HIV in Russia: Valery's Struggle

July 15, 2013 | Pulitzer Center
By
by Misha Friedman, for the Pulitzer Center

Valery taking a shower after his shift at the auto repair shop. Image by Misha Friedman. Russia, 2012.

Valery at work. Image by Misha Friedman. Russia, 2012.

At home, Valery takes care of his mother. She used to work as a nurse, and now rarely leaves their apartment due to her disability. Image by Misha Friedman. Russia, 2012.

Valery's daughter from a relationship prior to his incarceration. Image by Misha Friedman. Russia, 2012.

In a coffeeshop, in awe of the display. Image by Misha Friedman. Russia, 2012.

Trying to hail a taxi on his way to a date. Image by Misha Friedman. Russia, 2012.

Nervous before his first date in several years, Valery checks out his clean shaven reflection. Image by Misha Friedman. Russia, 2012.

In Saint Petersburg's subway with his date, also a former drug user. Image by Misha Friedman. Russia, 2012.

At work. Image by Misha Friedman. Russia, 2012.

Working on an old Soviet-era car. Image by Misha Friedman. Russia, 2012.

Working on an old Soviet-era car. Image by Misha Friedman. Russia, 2012.

Working on an old Soviet-era car. Image by Misha Friedman. Russia, 2012.

Working at the car repair shop takes it toll, as some grease just does not come off. Image by Misha Friedman. Russia, 2012.

Counting his earnings for the day with his boss, also his prison mate. On average, he earns 500 rubles (less than $20). Image by Misha Friedman. Russia, 2012.

First cigarette after a long day at work. Image by Misha Friedman. Russia, 2012.

In the early 2000s, Russia had more prisoners per capita than the United States. A 34-year-old man from the North Caucasus named Valery was one of them.

The course of Valery's life is not uncommon for men his age. At 15 he started using heroin. He joined a gang. "I was a tough guy," he says.

As the Russian state began to regain strength in the late 1990s, he found himself caught in Russia's equivalent the U.S.'s war on drugs: a war fought primarily by law enforcement. In 2004, in an overcrowded prison near St. Petersburg, he learned he was HIV-positive. Prisons back then were incubators of infectious diseases, including tuberculosis. Valery isn't sure how he became infected.

Released in 2010, he is kept alive by the antiretroviral drugs provided by the government. Valery says he is finally done with using heroin. "I don't have any temptation to go back to that life," Valery says. "I just grew up and realized I needed to have another life."