FSU Countries Research Articles

카자흐스탄의 재생에너지 정책과 발전 잠재력

Expanding the development of renewable energy sources is recognized as one of the most important tasks in terms of responding to climate change and sustainable development. In addition, the increasing instability of the energy supply chain due to the Ukraine war emphasizes the importance of renewable energy in terms of energy security. Kazakhstan, a leading energy exporter among the FSU countries, has been promoting renewable energy development as a national policy for a long time, but has not shown significant results. In this study, Kazakhstan's strengths and limitations in the renewable energy sector, as well as opportunities for development, were examined by evaluating Kazakhstan's renewable energy development potential in three aspects - natural resources, institutions, and technology - with a focus on solar energy. Kazakhstan has relatively abundant solar energy resources, but the technological/industrial level for the development of the solar energy sector appears to be lagging significantly. However, the institutional level related to renewable energy appears to be higher than the world average, and some areas are higher than the OECD average. In order to expand solar energy development in Kazakhstan, cooperation between countries and attraction of investment are needed, which will be an opportunity for Kazakhstan.

Social Work Education in Post-Soviet Countries: Progress of Azerbaijan

Abstract The article presents the findings of a qualitative study that was conducted in Azerbaijan to identify achievements and issues of social work education in the country. As in many former Soviet Union (fSU) countries, social work education in Azerbaijan is in its infancy. Formal education was established in 2005. Currently, sixteen universities offer social work education at the bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral levels. Despite a relatively high number of graduates from these programmes, the country lacks professional social workers in the field. Thus, with financial support from the Ministry of Education, the Azerbaijan Social Work Public Union explored this paradox. Data were collected via focus groups and in-depth interviews. The sample size was thirty-nine key informants, which included representatives of the government and non-government agencies, universities, social work students and alumni. Data were analysed by NVivo software. Themes such as the high number of social work education programs, strong commitment to launch social work programmes, wrong image of social work, need for resources in the local language, need for social work teachers, need for the minimum national quality standards for social work education and an uninformed selection of social work education by students have emerged. The study aims to contribute to the literature on social work education in former fSU countries.

Worry about crime and loneliness in nine countries of the former Soviet Union

Worry about crime has been linked to several detrimental outcomes including worse mental health. However, there has been little research on the association between worry about crime and loneliness, even though loneliness is increasingly being recognised as a serious public health issue. To address this deficit, this study examined the association between worry about crime and loneliness in nine countries of the former Soviet Union (FSU - Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, and Ukraine), using data from 18,000 respondents aged 18 and above that were collected during the Health in Times of Transition (HITT) survey in 2010/11. Results from a pooled logistic regression analysis showed that compared to those who reported no worry about crime, individuals with a high level of worry had significantly higher odds of loneliness (odds ratio [OR]: 1.43, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.17–1.75). Sex- and age-stratified analyses further showed that the association was observed in women with a mid (OR: 1.37, 95%CI: 1.10–1.71) and a high level (OR: 1.70, 95%CI: 1.33–2.17) of worry about crime but not in men, and that a high level of worry about crime was linked to loneliness in adults aged 35–59 (OR: 1.39, 95%CI: 1.02–1.91) and 60 and above (OR: 1.64, 95%CI: 1.12–2.40) but not in those aged 18–34. High levels of worry about crime are associated with loneliness in the FSU countries. Reducing crime and its associated worries may have important public health benefits in these countries.

Researching the 1980s competitions in Kyiv – preconditions of the After Socialist Modernism

The 1980s recently became a contested period in the architectural and urban planning history of Eastern Europe and the FSU countries. Situated within the Socialist Modernism timeframe, it at the same time forms a link to the manifold political and economic change happening in 1989\1991. While professionals posed radical questions about the core issues of the Socialist socio-spatial development and acquired new sensibilities towards history and locality, their influence on decision-making often remained seriously restrained by the construction industry.In Kyiv as well as in most of the big cities of the USSR, however, a change in the approach towards areas in the city center was visible – competitions, discussions, and iterative design were becoming a new norm for the architects and planners. In this paper, three projects on the block scale are reviewed in detail. These chosen competition projects became the watershed between modernist and after-modernist approaches to planning, showcasing new contextualized spatial solutions. What standards had been formed and what were the long-term impacts on the planning processes are the issues given the first attempt to answer. The intention of this paper is to gain a better understanding of the recent past towards intensifying the discourse about the sources of the present of urban development in Kyiv and beyond.

Convergence in suicide rates in FSU countries: a clustering approach

ABSTRACT This paper aims at identifying convergence clubs in suicide rates for a sample of 20 of FSU countries during the 1994–2016 period. A novel machine learning approach revels that while the null hypothesis of overall convergence has been rejected at the 5% significance level, there are four convergence clubs in the region. Within these clubs, different countries are on different transition paths and speeds of convergence, suggesting different policy interventions.

Extremely lethal and hypervirulent Mycobacterium tuberculosis strain cluster emerging in Far East, Russia

ABSTRACT Mycobacterium tuberculosis strains of the early ancient sublineage of the Beijing genotype are mostly drug susceptible and mainly circulate in East Asia. We have recently discovered two clusters of this sublineage emerging in the Asian part of Russia (VNTR-defined 1071-32 and 14717-15 types) and, to our surprise, both were strongly MDR/XDR-associated. Here, we evaluated their pathogenic features. The clinical isolates and reference laboratory strain H37Rv were investigated in the C57BL/6 mouse model to assess their virulence and lethality properties. The BACTEC MGIT 960 system was used to study the in vitro growth characteristics. In the murine model, strains 396 (14717-15-cluster, from Buryatia, Far East) and 6691 (1071-32-cluster, from Omsk, Siberia) demonstrated contrasting properties. The 396-infected group had significantly higher mortality, more weight loss, higher bacterial burden, and more severe lung pathology. Furthermore, compared to the previously published data on other Russian epidemic Beijing strains (B0/W148, CAO, Central Asian Russian), strain 396 demonstrated the highest mortality. Under the in vitro growth experiment, cluster 14717-15 isolates had significantly shorter lag-phase. To conclude, low-virulent MDR strain 6691 belongs to the Beijing 1071-32-cluster widespread across FSU countries but at low prevalence. This corresponds to common expectation that multiple drug resistance mutations reduce fitness and virulence. In contrast, highly lethal and hypervirulent MDR strain 396 represents an intriguing Beijing 14717-15 cluster predominant only in Buryatia, Far East (16%), sporadically found beyond it, but not forming clusters of transmission. Further in-depth study of this most virulent Russian Beijing cluster is warranted.

One Step Forward and Two Steps Back: Migration Policy and Human Trafficking in the Russian Federation since the Palermo Protocol of 2020

ABSTRACT The Russian Federation is the regional focal attraction point for labor from former Soviet Union (fSU) countries. It occupies one of the top five places in the world on number of labor migrants (about 9-10 mln. people) (WB 2017). The Majority (about 90%) are from fSU countries (MVD 2017). The free visa regime within the post-Soviet space is accompanied by difficulties in obtaining legal registration and work permits in Russia that turns many migrants into the situation of illegality. Russia has done a lot in terms of legal provisions to combat illegal migration and human trafficking by signing the UN Convention against Transnational Organized Crime, and two Palermo Protocols against Trafficking in Persons and against the Smuggling of Migrants in 2004 and has made a lot of amendments to the Russian Criminal Code. In spite of all these efforts, the real situation with combating human trafficking is problematic. Russia has been an origin, transit, and destination country for men, women and children trafficked for labor and sexual exploitation to and from numerous countries mostly neighboring. How does Russian migration policy, particularly the propiska (registration system), create vulnerabilities for labor trafficking? An Inconsistent migration policy and it’s implementation in Russia produce roots for constant violation of migrants’ rights by local government administrations, employers, and by law enforcement bodies, creating irregular migrants vulnerable to human trafficking. This analysis shows how national anti-trafficking laws intersect with other domestic laws, including migration policies, and create new vulnerabilities for trafficking.

Cytoplasmic genetic diversity of potato varieties bred in Russia and FSU countries

Male sterility in potato is little studied since traditional breeding is based on the vegetative reproduction of highly heterozygous tetraploid varieties. The rapid development of hybrid diploid breeding contributes to growing interest in studying the male sterility of this important crop. In this work, a set of 6 cytoplasmic markers was employed to describe cytoplasmic genetic diversity of 185 potato cultivars bred in Russia and FSU countries. Three cytoplasm types were identified, T (40.0 %), D (50.8 %) and W/ γ (8.7 %), which according to literature are associated with male sterility. With a single exception (0.5 %), cytoplasm types characteristic of male fertile forms (A, P) were not found in the subset of 185 cultivars. A comparison of these results with previously published data suggested expanding the subset to up to 277 cultivars, all developed in Russia or FSU countries; however, the resulting differentiation into three cytoplasm types (T, D and W/ γ ) was nearly the same. Fertility phenotyping helped identify both male-sterile and male-fertile genotypes within the three groups of varieties with T-, D- and W/ γ -type cytoplasm. Fifteen genotypes differing in cytoplasm type and male sterility/fertility traits were selected for direct sequencing of 8 mtDNA loci. Fragments of the nad2, nad7, cox2, atp6 and CcmFc genes were identical in all 15 selected genotypes. The polymorphism, detected in the rps3, atp9 and CcmFc loci, was not associated with male sterility. Two SNPs in the nad1/atp6 and nad2 loci differentiated 7 genotypes with W/ γ -type cytoplasm into five genotypes with tetrad sterility, and two with fertile pollen. The results of an NGS analysis confirmed the association of these SNPs with tetrad sterility in a larger set of 28 genotypes of different origin, all with W/ γ -type cytoplasm. A heteroplasmy state was observed both in male-sterile and in male-fertile genotypes.

Russia’s Scientific Collaboration with the Post-Soviet States: Assessment on Web of Science Publications

This article explores the state and dynamics of scientific collaboration between Russia and the states of the former Soviet Union except for the Baltic countries, by studying the publication activity of researchers with regard to their joint scientific articles indexed in the Web of Science. Statistical data on the number of bilateral joint publications by authors from the Russian Federation and the above-mentioned FSU countries for 2000–2017 were analyzed, as was the distribution of these publications by years, research areas, and main sponsors and organizations with which the authors were affiliated. Four groups of countries were identified demonstrating the dynamics of the development of research and publication collaboration with Russia that can be defined as actively growing, positive, stagnating, or collapsing. The key research areas of Russia’s scientific collaboration with the post-Soviet states as a whole and with each of them separately were established as were the organizations with which most authors of joint articles are affiliated, the main areas of collaborative research, and their principal sources of funding. Using the indicators of scientific citation, we assess the comparative demand of the scientific community for joint publications broken into partner countries and key research areas. The significant role of universities in maintaining scientific collaboration in unfavorable political and economic conditions was shown.

Perceived discrimination and psychological distress in nine countries of the former Soviet Union.

Perceived discrimination has been linked to worse mental health. However, little is known about this association in the countries of the former Soviet Union (fSU). To address this deficit, this study examined the link between perceived discrimination and psychological distress in nine fSU countries. Data were analyzed from 18,000 adults aged ⩾18 years obtained during the Health in Times of Transition (HITT) survey undertaken in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia and Ukraine in 2010 and 2011. A single-item measure was used to assess discrimination. Psychological distress was measured with a 12-item scale. Logistic regression analysis and meta-analysis were used to examine associations. After adjusting for all potential confounders, when using none/little discrimination as the reference category, moderate and strong discrimination were associated with significantly increased odds for psychological distress in the total population and in men and women separately with odds ratios ranging from 1.93 to 2.64. Meta-analysis based on country-wise estimates showed that the level of between-country heterogeneity was negligible. Perceived discrimination is associated with psychological distress in countries throughout the fSU. Quantitative and qualitative research is now warranted to determine its specific forms and impact on population health in individual fSU countries.

Promoting women’s health in prisons in North-West Russia

ABSTRACTIn this article, the authors present findings from a study of the challenges for improving and promoting women’s health in prison settings in North-West Russia. They examine the findings in the light of their own experience in the region and put forward suggestions for overcoming obstacles to reform and progress. These add new knowledge to help fill the gap in applied studies relating to women’s health in prisons and particularly in the Russian Federation and FSU countries. Work was conducted in Kaliningrad, Tver and St. Petersburg cities and oblasts with Ministry officials, prison staff, prisoners and Russian NGOs. It involved a mix of methods including study visits to selected sites and government and non-government organisations, reviews of policy documents and statistical sources, and discussions with key informants. Challenges found include particular issues posed for women and their health and well-being, shortage of links between prison and civilian sector services, lack of unified health services, and lack of employment opportunities and other supports on release. International partnership initiatives are required to bring about a transformation in the health and welfare outcomes of the prisoners in North-West Russia, and in the healthcare provided within prison settings. Gendered policies and practices remain to be developed at regional and local levels. The need to turn Russian prisons in the North-West into Health Promoting Prisons, where human rights are respected and gender issues recognised, is now paramount.

New epidemic cluster of pre-extensively drug resistant isolates of Mycobacterium tuberculosis Ural family emerging in Eastern Europe

BackgroundUral genetic family is a part of the Euro-American lineage of Mycobacterium tuberculosis and is endemic in Northern Eurasia (former Soviet Union [FSU]). These strains were long described as drug susceptible and of low virulence, but recent studies reported an increasing circulation of the multidrug-resistant (MDR) and extensively drug-resistant (XDR) Ural strains. Here, we analyzed all publicly available whole genome sequence data of Ural genotype isolates, in order to elucidate their phylogenomic diversity with a special focus on MDR and potentially epidemic clones.ResultsA total of 149 M. tuberculosis genomes of Ural isolates from FSU countries were mined from the GMTV database and TB-ARC project. We identified 6002 variable amino acid positions that were assessed for functional significance and used to build ML, NJ trees and for Bayesian TMRCA estimation. Three robust monophyletic clades were identified: Clade A (31 isolates from Russia, Belarus, Moldova), Clade B (52 isolates from Russia), and Clade C (37 isolates from Moldova, 2 from Belarus). Clade C was significantly associated with XDR or pre-XDR status compared to the pooled Clades A and B (33/39 versus 5/83, P < 0.0001). Time of origin was estimated for Clade A at 77.7–137 years ago and for Clade B at 56.3–99.2 years ago compared to the significantly more recent origin for Clade C. in silico spoligotyping identified signatures specific of the Clade A (spoligotype SIT35), and Clades B and C (both SIT262).ConclusionsA genetically compact and evolutionarily young Ural Clade C, likely originated after collapse of the Soviet Union, and reached epidemic proportions in Moldova in the last 20 years. This epidemic pre-XDR clone (mostly rifampin, isoniazid and kanamycin resistant) is characterized by a specific combination of mutations: KatG Ser315Thr, fabG1 -15C > T, RpoB Ser450Leu, RpsL Lys88Arg, eis -12G > A and EmbB Ser297Ala/T > G. Its further dissemination may occur towards both Russia and European Union and should be taken into consideration by health authorities. The identified spoligotyping signatures can serve for rapid preliminary detection and surveillance of the more hazardous pre-XDR associated strains of the Ural family, both in populations from countries of their endemic circulation and migrant communities.

HIV Type 1 Integrase Natural Polymorphisms in Viral Variants Circulating in FSU Countries.

Natural variability of integrase (IN) across HIV-1 variants may influence the emergence of resistant viruses. The most apparent explanation of this fact is the IN polymorphism and the associated differences in codon usage, which in turn, influence the probability and the terms of DRMs acquisition. Possible mechanisms by which polymorphisms affect DRMs emergence remain disputed and should still be clarified because these substitutions may be associated with a reduced activity of some INSTIs and may impact on ART regimen choice depending of HIV-1 subtype. The aim of this work was to assess the prevalence of naturally occurring polymorphisms within the HIV-1 integrase gene, which might influence the susceptibility to INSTIs, among the patients from Russia and former USSR countries, according to HIV-1 subtypes. A study involved 506 HIV-1 IN sequences of INSTI-naive patients from Russia, Ukraine, Armenia, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Belarus, and Georgia. Among them, 194 sequences were newly obtained in this study and 312 were downloaded from Los-Alamos database. The proviral DNA was sequenced using an in-house PCR protocol designed on the basis of a well-conserved integrase region in order to detect all HIV-1 variants. The phylogenetic analyses based on IN population sequencing found subtype A6 being the most prevalent (259) (51.2%) in the collection studied, followed by subtype G (36) (7.1%), AGrecombinants (148) (29.3%), subtype B (50) (9.9%), and CRF03_AB (5) (1.0%). The major INSTI resistance-associated mutations (DRMs) were found only in two A6 samples. The prevalence of minor/ accessory substitutions depended on HIV-1 variants, while the most notable findings were L74I in subtype A6 (93.1%) and E157Q in subtype B (44.0%). Most of minor DRMs and polymorphic substitutions were concentrated in the central catalytic domain of the IN molecule. Both the DDE triad and HHCC zinc binding motifs were fully conserved. The results of the study suggest a very low risk of initiating INSTI-based therapy in patients with pre-existing polymorphic mutations in Russia and FSU countries. The therapy response in dominating HIV-1 genetic variants might be further studied in the future for a better understanding of their effect on INSTI susceptibility. The INSTI TDR is absent for the moment, but the risk may increase with expanded use of INSTIs, indicating the need for ongoing surveillance.

HIV Type 1 Subtype A1 Dominates in Armenia.

There is scarce information about the molecular epidemiology of HIV-infection in Armenia (former USSR). The objective of this work was to estimate the distribution of HIV-1 subtypes in this country and get any information about HIV drug resistance in naÏve patients. A joint study involving 78 patients was carried out in Yerevan, Armenia and Moscow, Russia in 2009-2013. The cohort studies included mostly IDUs (28.2%) and heterosexuals (69.2%). The phylogenetic analyses based on population sequencing of partial pol gene found subtype A1 being the most prevalent (92.3%), followed by subtype B (3.9%). The HIV-1 tropism inferred from env V3-loop sequences was determined in 27 samples, among them R5-tropic viruses were found in 13 (48.1%) patients and X4- variants--in 14 (51.9%) patients. The prevalence of drug resistance in naïve patients was low (1.5%) with the only one mutation K219Q found. The composition and distribution of HIV-1 genetic variants in Armenia are evidently influenced by the Russian and other FSU countries epidemic, due to the significant volume of Armenian migrant/re-emigrant flows. Continued surveillance of HIV-1 circulating subtypes and drug resistance in Armenia is important for the proper management of HIV infection in this country.

Urban–rural differences in psychological distress in nine countries of the former Soviet Union

BackgroundStudies have shown that the prevalence of mental illness can vary between urban and rural locations. This study extended research to the countries of the former Soviet Union (fSU) by assessing the association between settlement type and psychological distress and whether factors associated with psychological distress vary by settlement type. MethodsData on 18,000 adults aged ≥18 years from the Health in Times of Transition (HITT) survey undertaken in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, and Ukraine in 2010/11 were analyzed. Settlement types were country capitals, regional capitals, cities/other urban settlements, and villages. Psychological distress was defined as the country-specific highest quintile of a composite score based on 11 questions. Logistic regression analysis with random effects was used to examine associations. ResultsIn a pooled country analysis, living in a smaller urban settlement or village was associated with significantly higher odds for psychological distress compared to living in the country capital. Lower social support was a strong correlate of psychological distress in all locations except capital cities. LimitationsThe psychological distress measure has not been formally validated in the study countries. ConclusionsLower levels of urbanicity are associated with greater psychological distress in the fSU countries. As many Western studies have linked greater urbanization to poorer mental health, this highlights the need for caution in extrapolating findings from one part of the world to others and the importance of undertaking research on the geographical correlates of mental health in different world regions.

Smoking status, nicotine dependence and happiness in nine countries of the former Soviet Union

BackgroundThe US Food and Drug Administration has established a policy of substantially discounting the health benefits of reduced smoking in its evaluation of proposed regulations because of the cost to...

Using multi-level data to estimate the effect of social capital on hazardous alcohol consumption in the former Soviet Union

Hazardous alcohol consumption is a leading cause of mortality in the former Soviet Union (fSU), but little is known about the social factors associated with this behaviour. We set out to estimate the association between individual- and community-level social capital and hazardous alcohol consumption in the fSU. Data were obtained from Health in Times of Transition 2010, a household survey of nine fSU countries (n = 18 000 within 2027 communities). Individual-level indicators of social isolation, civic participation, help in a crisis and interpersonal trust were aggregated to the community level. Adjusting for demographic factors, the association of individual- and community-level indicators with problem drinking (CAGE) and episodic heavy drinking was estimated using a population average model for the analysis of multi-level data. Among men, individual social isolation [odds ratio (OR) = 1.20], community social isolation (OR = 1.18) and community civic participation (OR = 4.08) were associated with increased odds of CAGE. Community civic participation (OR = 2.91) increased the odds of episodic heavy drinking, while community interpersonal trust (OR = 0.89) decreased these odds. Among women, individual social isolation (OR = 1.30) and community civic participation (OR = 2.94) increased odds of CAGE. Our results provide evidence of the role of some elements of social capital in problem drinking in the fSU, and highlight the importance of community effects. The nature of civic organizations in the fSU, and the communities in which civic participation is high, should be further investigated to inform alcohol policy in the region.

Modern Approaches and Practice of Political Situation Analysis in FSU Countries

The article covers key elements and practical approaches to think tank's domestic policy analysis in FSU countries. Author gives a detailed definition of the policy analysis and highlights the leading role think tanks play in policy analysis.

Criminal victimisation and health: Examining the relation in nine countries of the former Soviet Union

Previous research suggests that criminal victimisation can impact negatively on both physical and psychological health. However, as yet, little is known about crime and its effects on population health in the former Soviet Union (fSU) – despite a sharp growth in crime rates in the countries in this region after the collapse of the communist system. Given this gap in current knowledge, this study examined two forms of crime, theft and violent victimisation, in nine fSU countries – Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia and Ukraine. Using nationally representative data from the Health in Times of Transition (HITT) study collected from 18,000 respondents in 2010/11, the study had two main objectives: (1) to identify which demographic and socioeconomic factors are associated with being a victim of crime; (2) to examine the relation between criminal victimisation and two health outcomes – self-rated health and psychological distress. We found that similar factors were associated with experiencing both forms of crime among respondents. Those who were younger, not married and who consumed alcohol more frequently were at increased risk of victimisation, while greater social capital was associated with lower odds for victimisation. Low education increased the risk of experiencing violence by 1.5 times. Victimisation was strongly associated with poorer health: victims of violence were 2.5 and 2.9 times more likely to report poor self-rated health and psychological distress, respectively, while the corresponding figures for theft victimisation were 1.9 and 1.8. The strong association we observed between criminal victimisation and poorer individual health suggests that, in addition to policies that reduce rates of crime, more research is now urgently needed on victimisation. Specifically, researchers should ascertain whether the association with poor health is causal, determine its potential mechanisms, and evaluate interventions that might mitigate its impact on health that are contextually appropriate in the fSU.

Prevalence and factors associated with the use of alternative (folk) medicine practitioners in 8 countries of the former Soviet Union.

BackgroundResearch suggests that since the collapse of the Soviet Union there has been a sharp growth in the use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) in some former Soviet countries. However, as yet, comparatively little is known about the use of CAM in the countries throughout this region. Against this background, the aim of the current study was to determine the prevalence of using alternative (folk) medicine practitioners in eight countries of the former Soviet Union (fSU) and to examine factors associated with their use.MethodsData were obtained from the Living Conditions, Lifestyles and Health (LLH) survey undertaken in eight former Soviet countries (Armenia, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia and Ukraine) in 2001. In this nationally representative cross-sectional survey, 18428 respondents were asked about how they treated 10 symptoms, with options including the use of alternative (folk) medicine practitioners. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to determine the factors associated with the treatment of differing symptoms by such practitioners in these countries.ResultsThe prevalence of using an alternative (folk) medicine practitioner for symptom treatment varied widely between countries, ranging from 3.5% in Armenia to 25.0% in Kyrgyzstan. For nearly every symptom, respondents living in rural locations were more likely to use an alternative (folk) medicine practitioner than urban residents. Greater wealth was also associated with using these practitioners, while distrust of doctors played a role in the treatment of some symptoms.ConclusionsThe widespread use of alternative (folk) medicine practitioners in some fSU countries and the growth of this form of health care provision in the post-Soviet period in conditions of variable licensing and regulation, highlights the urgent need for more research on this phenomenon and its potential effects on population health in the countries in this region.