20 July: Nikolay participated in a session of the 2nd International Chemsex Symposium. The session discussed current research gaps in chemsex. what kind of research is needed and Nikolay also presented his qualitative work on chemsex in Kazakhstan with partners from that country (picture 1). The symposium was organised by ReShape's international partners, the Department of Dermatology, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität, Munich and with financial support from Gilead Sciences Canada and Gilead Sciences Europe Ltd. 

For the first time in the history of the AIDS Conference, the Pre-Conference focused on “HIV Key Populations on the theme: ‘Demand and Delivery: Securing Rights, Funding and Prevention’”. (You can read more about this Pre-Conference in this Citizen News Service press release.) Here, Nikolay made some key points about HIV work among key populations.
“Key populations are still highly stigmatised around the world, including in my region of Eastern Europe and Central Asia. We see more oppressive laws coming, leading to limited access to HIV and other health services for key populations”.
“We should not forget migration when it comes to key populations and the challenges they face. I myself moved from Russia to Germany because of an oppressive and dictatorial regime that left little room for my personal development. We have to remember that people move from one country to another not only because they have a choice, but also because they are forced to survive. This is a critical point to consider when we have a political conversation about the HIV response.”

21 July: Nikolay participated in the Pre-Conference “Mobilize for action on sexually transmitted infections”, organised by WHO in collaboration with the International AIDS Society (IAS) and the International Union against Sexually Transmitted Infections (IUSTI) . The pre-conference aimed to mobilise advocacy for a more effective global response to sexually transmitted infections (STIs), by bringing together a diverse group of stakeholders to move towards the targets of ending the STIs epidemics by 2030.
Nikolay joined session 4 “Envisioning the future of STIs”, including a debate on the role of DoxyPEP for STI prevention and control (picture 2). Nikolay got much resonation by audience for his quote: “I am much more privileged than other gay men because I'm a doctor and can prescribe DoxyPEP for myself. I travel often to Berlin for work, a city famous for its largest gay scene in the world. During my weekends there, I don't know how many times DoxyPEP has saved me from syphilis, but given my behaviour, I suspect it has been many times. We need more research now, but we also need clear guidance and recommendations - yesterday”.

22 July: Nikolay took part in a discussion at the AIDS24-Global Village hosted by MPact entitled "Can You Feel it? Sex & Pleasure and Drug Use”. He presented his research on the sexualised drug use among GB men in Kazakhstan. The goal of the study was to understand why queer men engage in chemsex. His research revealed that the main reason is the inability to experience sexual pleasure without drugs due to the strong prevalence of homophobia in the country. During the discussion, Nikolay emphasised that while drug use should not be criminalised, it is crucial to ensure that chemsex can be practised safely to reduce harm from substance use (picture 3). You can read more about the study in the article on our homepage or on the publishers website.

23 July: Nikolay was invited to be one of a limited number of key individuals and organisations to strategise on how best to increase access to PrEP (oral and long-acting) in the European Region at a session hosted by WHO, UNAIDS and AVAC entitled “PrEP Advocacy in Central Europe and Beyond: Planning for acceleration” (picture 4). The purpose of the 90-minute meeting was to discuss the possibility of a structured plan for community advocacy across the region.
Nikolay highlighted that “the figures presented by ECDC for Central Asia may not be representative. For example, the numbers for PrEP users in Uzbekistan are quite good, but it is unlikely that they are MSM, given the criminalisation of homosexual relationships in the country. MSM in Uzbekistan are in dire need of PrEP”. In his speech, Nikolay drew attention to several important aspects of PrEP implementation in EECA countries. He noted that the high levels of stigma against GB-men results in MSM not seeking PrEP. He emphasised that access to PrEP should be provided at the community level or at least through pharmacists, not just doctors, especially considering the lack of safety for MSM in countries like Uzbekistan. Nikolay also highlighted the importance of investing in PrEP marketing to make it attractive to the target audience and to ensure it does not come across as dull.

24 July: Nikolay hosted a session at the AIDS24-Global Village entitled "Sex as a Human Right: Gay Men's Lives in EECA". During the session, he talked about how gay and bisexual men can stay healthy, why PrEP is so close and yet so far away, why chemsex is a growing problem and what to do about it, what young gay and bisexual men need, and why human rights and sex are inseparable concepts (picture 5).

In addition, Janina and Nikolay presented a poster on their study assessing the prevalence and correlates of intimate partner violence among gay and bisexual men enrolled in a pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) programme in Ukraine (picture 6).