November 09, 2025

Cracking Down on Drunk Driving


Cracking Down on Drunk Driving
Enjoy the scenery, sober. Igor Ageyenko

Is drunk driving in Russia a problem? Increases in fines and harsh punitive measures indicate that the issue of intoxicated drivers remains a stubborn issue.

At the start of 2025, fines for drunk driving were increased from R30,000 ($370) to R45,000 ($560). The driver’s license may also be revoked for one and a half to two years, and drivers can also face arrest rather than a mere fine.

Regardless of harsh punishment, drunk driving is still common in Russia. Between January and June of 2025, R232 million (about $2.9 million) in fines were collected from intoxicated driving related offense. That's twice what was collected  in all of 2024. 

In addition to fines and arrests, a new law allows vehicles to be confiscated from drivers. In the related case, a second-time offender’s driver’s license was revoked, and he was sentenced to 240 hours of community service. Most notably, however, was the decision to confiscate his car, which became state property. Decisions to confiscate vehicles are not made with consideration of the owner’s reliance on the car or socio-economic status and can also be applied to the spouse or partner’s vehicle.

Tactical traffic stops are another strategy to catch drunk drivers. Starting November 2, traffic police in Moscow will intensify their efforts to catch intoxicated drivers, in response to a high number of recent cases. In less than a week, from October 27 to November 1, over 100 instances of drunk driving were identified in Moscow alone. An additional 190 individuals refused alcohol testing, which resulted in fines of up to R30,000 ($3700) and the revocation of the driver’s license for up to two years. 

Electric scooters are also subject to the new laws. Some classes of scooters require licenses and must adhere to many of the rules for larger vehicles; they are subject to many of the same regulations and punishments as those driving cars.  

If all else fails, riders can always request a sober driver to take them home in their own vehicles. Or they can stay home and watch the 2019 Russian rom-com Sober Driver, avoiding the potential fines and dangers of drunk driving altogether.

You Might Also Like

Hourly Taskmaster Rise
  • September 07, 2025

Hourly Taskmaster Rise

Russians looking to get a little extra cash on the side can become "specific assistants." And the marketplace is booming.
Silent Casualties of the War
  • May 13, 2025

Silent Casualties of the War

Dozens of residents in Russia’s Belgorod Oblast have been injured or killed in military-related traffic accidents and are struggling to find justice.
Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of our Books

The Moscow Eccentric
December 01, 2016

The Moscow Eccentric

Advance reviewers are calling this new translation "a coup" and "a remarkable achievement." This rediscovered gem of a novel by one of Russia's finest writers explores some of the thorniest issues of the early twentieth century.

Survival Russian
February 01, 2009

Survival Russian

Survival Russian is an intensely practical guide to conversational, colloquial and culture-rich Russian. It uses humor, current events and thematically-driven essays to deepen readers’ understanding of Russian language and culture. This enlarged Second Edition of Survival Russian includes over 90 essays and illuminates over 2000 invaluable Russian phrases and words.

The Little Humpbacked Horse
November 03, 2014

The Little Humpbacked Horse

A beloved Russian classic about a resourceful Russian peasant, Vanya, and his miracle-working horse, who together undergo various trials, exploits and adventures at the whim of a laughable tsar, told in rich, narrative poetry.

The Samovar Murders
November 01, 2019

The Samovar Murders

The murder of a poet is always more than a murder. When a famous writer is brutally stabbed on the campus of Moscow’s Lumumba University, the son of a recently deposed African president confesses, and the case assumes political implications that no one wants any part of.

Faith & Humor
December 01, 2011

Faith & Humor

A book that dares to explore the humanity of priests and pilgrims, saints and sinners, Faith & Humor has been both a runaway bestseller in Russia and the focus of heated controversy – as often happens when a thoughtful writer takes on sacred cows. The stories, aphorisms, anecdotes, dialogues and adventures in this volume comprise an encyclopedia of modern Russian Orthodoxy, and thereby of Russian life.

Moscow and Muscovites
November 26, 2013

Moscow and Muscovites

Vladimir Gilyarovsky's classic portrait of the Russian capital is one of Russians’ most beloved books. Yet it has never before been translated into English. Until now! It is a spectactular verbal pastiche: conversation, from gutter gibberish to the drawing room; oratory, from illiterates to aristocrats; prose, from boilerplate to Tolstoy; poetry, from earthy humor to Pushkin. 

Woe From Wit (bilingual)
June 20, 2017

Woe From Wit (bilingual)

One of the most famous works of Russian literature, the four-act comedy in verse Woe from Wit skewers staid, nineteenth century Russian society, and it positively teems with “winged phrases” that are essential colloquialisms for students of Russian and Russian culture.

A Taste of Chekhov
December 24, 2022

A Taste of Chekhov

This compact volume is an introduction to the works of Chekhov the master storyteller, via nine stories spanning the last twenty years of his life.

Driving Down Russia's Spine
June 01, 2016

Driving Down Russia's Spine

The story of the epic Spine of Russia trip, intertwining fascinating subject profiles with digressions into historical and cultural themes relevant to understanding modern Russia. 

About Us

Russian Life is the 31-year-old publication of an award-winning publishing house that also creates books, and other products for Russophiles the world over.

Latest Posts

Our Contacts

Russian Life
73 Main Street, Suite 402
Montpelier VT 05602

802-223-4955