There is one more commonly spread lie from trolls - that id did not debunk yesterday as this would have caused some of the pro-Putin troll to have a stroke (and would have probably get me banned from there.). But the truth needs to be said. Don't shoot the messenger.
Lie spread by Russian trolls:
"There is lots of people with HIV in the West, because you got too many Blacks, junkies, hookers and gays. We don't have this problem - HIV does not exist in Russia."
Now, Ivan...this is probably the biggest lie you have ever told and we are not going to let you get away with it.
Ivan, Russia may not have many Black folks but must have a lot of the other three, otherwise how would you explain the statistics?
Russia has a serious problem with HIV, It has had for a very long time.
1.50% (!) of the people living in the Russian Federation live with HIV. (For comparison the US and France the rate is 0.40%, the UK and Sweden 0.20%).
What may be even more shocking to some of the readers here that Russia's HIV rate is the same as that of Liberia and Sierra Leone.
In fact - in many supposedly countries that are looked down upon by some of the readers here - such as Thailand, Cambodia, Papua New Guinea, Burundi, Chad, Ethiopia, Brazil, Senegal, Somalia etc - have lower rates of HIV than Russia.
Actually, before you say it's biased, the Wikipedia article quotes the CIA's World Factbook as the source. (You can access the link) No, it's not biased. Younger readers may not remember this, but the same source warned the world of the shockingly high HIV rates even back in the mid-1990s - when (the younger readers won't remember the Clinton-Yeltsin era) the US-Russia relations were actually fairly decent at the time. (Also, the source also acknowledges that Ukraine's rate is also high - 1.10%)
We know that prostitution is widespread in Russia (even with protection, more partners mean more chance of getting infected)
We already discussed yesterday that IV-drug abuse is rampant in Russia. Rehabilitation facilities are minimal. Harm reduction is practically non-existent - in fact, the Russian government has outlawed NGOs that tried to help IV drug users to have access to clean needles.
As you see from the evidence, the Russian government denies there is a problem.
Also, the silence from the Russian orthodox church on this matter is deafening - while abroad Orthodox, Catholic, Protestant, Muslim, Buddhist etc organizations provide lots of genuine work on helping the rehabilitation of former drug users. (One can only wish the russian orthodox church was as active in the field of helping the poor and the needy as they are in field of politics)
I guess some of you will look at those Svetlanas, Irinas and Natashas a bit differently after this. If you still insist on marrying one, don't play Russian roulette (no pun intended) with your health. Make sure she gets tested. This would also show her real attitude.
While a lady from Liberia or Sierra Leone (countries with same rates of HIV as Russia) would actually see this as a positive - as this shows her future husband is a responsible and caring man.
Not so much with a Russian women. it is guaranteed she will make a scene. (In thick Russian accent: "Test for HIV? What do you think I am?!". Don't be a beta simp, going into long explanation. Stand your ground. "You are from Russia. That's enough reason for me to ask you to get tested." That will shut her up immediately. But You should also ask yourself whether you really want to marry a woman with such attitude (arrogant, prideful and ignorant) ? Choose wisely, gentlemen...choose wisely.
The state healthcare facilities in Russia are really third world level, that's probably needless to say.
The bottom line is : ignore the Russian propaganda. Russia is a poor, dysfunctional third world country (don't let the abundance of natural resources fool you) that is currently trying to overtake the world to bring the attention away from its internal problems. The online troll paid by the Russian government are also there for that purpose.
Comparing Russia with the a country of the same rate of HIV (Liberia) - having visited both countries I can reassure you that the average Russian does not live much better than the average Liberian. The Russian propaganda rarely shows you the "other side" or Russia, away from the touristy areas or away from the world of wealthy "oligarchs" . (On a subjective note: Don't have an intention to visit neither of the said two countries again - but visiting Liberia was a more pleasant experience than visiting Russia).
Again, don't shoot the truth-teller. Do your own research if you don't believe the sources I provided you with.
Peace.
