UNAIDS is deeply saddened by the sudden passing of Vadim Valentinovich Pokrovsky, member of the Russian Academy of Sciences and a leading expert on HIV, on 20 May 2026 at the age of 71. 

Vadim Valentinovich Pokrovsky’s name is inseparably linked with the response to HIV from its earliest days, and his leadership role in the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of HIV in Russia, across Eastern Europe and Central Asia, and globally. 

Mr Pokrovsky diagnosed the first person living with HIV in the  Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR), established the specialized laboratory that became the Federal Scientific and Clinical Center for Prevention and Control of AIDS, and long served as its head, pioneering Russia’s AIDS monitoring, testing and treatment strategies. He made enormous contributions to the creation of the network of HIV centres in the Russian Federation and other countries across the former Soviet Union. He also trained generations of epidemiologists and medical doctors working onAIDS in Russia and across the Eastern Europe and Central Asia region. 

He was an active voice in the Russian and international media, inspired thousands of students and journalists, and always highlighted important messages about HIV prevention, condom use, timely testing and HIV treatment, and the status of the HIV epidemic in the Russian Federation. 

Many people living with HIV in Russia and other countries owe their lives and their careers to him, and millions more are grateful for helping them avoid acquiring HIV. 

For many years, Mr Pokrovsky was a trusted partner, advocate, and friend of UNAIDS. We are deeply grateful for his tireless and sincere dedication, outstanding professionalism, and immense contribution to the global HIV response. 

He was a remarkable scientist, exceptional doctor, and a courageous advocate in the fight to end AIDS. 

UNAIDS extends its deepest condolences to Vadim Valentinovich’s family, colleagues, friends at the Central Research Institute of Epidemiology of Rospotrebnadzor, and to the entire HIV community in Russia and across Eastern Europe and Central Asia. His loss is deeply felt by all those who knew him, worked with him, and were touched by his life’s work.