September 30, 2025

Is Russia Closing the Tab?


Is Russia Closing the Tab?
Table filled with Russian alcohol bottles. The Russian Life files.

Kommersant reported that consumption of vodka and cognac fell by 4% and 10%, respectively, between January and August of this year. The drop comes after a series of measures were implemented to curb alcoholism and its related deaths. 

EGAIS, the government agency that tracks the production and sales of products, said Russia sold 126 million gallons of vodka this year, a 3.97% drop from 2024. Cognac sales decreased to 21 million gallons, an approximately 10% drop. The decrease in consumption is no coincidence. In 2025, taxes on alcohol increased by 15% to R740 ($8.84) per liter. The minimum sales price (MSP) for alcoholic beverages also increased. Vodka's MSP increased by 16% to R349 ($4.17). Cognac's MSP is 17% higher than in 2024, costing at least R641 ($7.65). Alcohol production fell by 15% in the first seven months of 2025.

In April 2024, a federal law came into effect that allowed local authorities in Russian regions to add further restrictions on alcohol sales, including the time and location of purchases. According to the State Duma's Committee on Economic Policy, 63 out of 89 regions and republics adopted new measures to curtail liquor sales. 

On March 1, Vologda Oblast adopted the most restrictive "dry laws" on alcohol sales in Russia. Alcoholic beverages can be sold only between 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. on weekdays. Vologda saw a drop of 12.76% in vodka sales and 19.53% in cognac purchases. The oblasts of Kamchatka, Kostroma, Murmansk, Kaluga, and Komi, among others, saw decreases of over 5% in vodka and cognac sales. Buryatia revoked 229 stores' alcohol sales licenses for not respecting the new restrictions. However, Ingushetia, Karachay-Cherkessia, and North Ossetia saw over 10% increases in alcohol purchases.

Stellar Group director Alexander Grevtsov told Kommersant that in regions where restrictions are expected to drop, shipments of alcohol have preemptively decreased. Chains are closing stores in residential buildings and looking for new locations. Grevtsov said that companies are still planning for a surge in liquor consumption for the end-of-the-year holidays. 

Yuri Karyakin, the Deputy General Director of Commercial Affairs at alcohol producer Tatspirtprom, said that the restrictions on their products' sales have not impacted their company.

Rosalkogoltobakkontrol, the government agency that regulates alcohol and tobacco markets, said that restrictions have mainly affected retail outlets but not liquor consumption itself. There are no statistics on how many alcoholic beverages are being purchased illegally.

You Might Also Like

No Politics for a Politician
  • September 28, 2025

No Politics for a Politician

Putin notes that Stalin was a key figure of Russia's victory in World War II, but says his image should be "depoliticized."
Three Years Gone
  • September 25, 2025

Three Years Gone

Inside the quiet toll of Russia's mobilization in Tomsk: a quarter dead, missing, or injured, few veterans recognized.
Women Looking at War
  • September 22, 2025

Women Looking at War

Two female Ukrainian authors have been honored in Germany’s Hotlist literary awards for 2025.
A Modern Fairy Tale
  • September 20, 2025

A Modern Fairy Tale

The Ukrainian journalist Anastasiia Marsiz’s first novel, set in modern Italy, reads in the literary tradition of skazki, Eugene Onegin and Tolstoy’s folk tales.
Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of our Books

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.

The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas
October 01, 2013

The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas

This exciting new trilogy by a Russian author – who has been compared to Orhan Pamuk and Umberto Eco – vividly recreates a lost world, yet its passions and characters are entirely relevant to the present day. Full of mystery, memorable characters, and non-stop adventure, The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas is a must read for lovers of historical fiction and international thrillers.

 
A Taste of Russia
November 01, 2012

A Taste of Russia

The definitive modern cookbook on Russian cuisine has been totally updated and redesigned in a 30th Anniversary Edition. Layering superbly researched recipes with informative essays on the dishes' rich historical and cultural context, A Taste of Russia includes over 200 recipes on everything from borshch to blini, from Salmon Coulibiac to Beef Stew with Rum, from Marinated Mushrooms to Walnut-honey Filled Pies. A Taste of Russia shows off the best that Russian cooking has to offer. Full of great quotes from Russian literature about Russian food and designed in a convenient wide format that stays open during use.

Bears in the Caviar
May 01, 2015

Bears in the Caviar

Bears in the Caviar is a hilarious and insightful memoir by a diplomat who was “present at the creation” of US-Soviet relations. Charles Thayer headed off to Russia in 1933, calculating that if he could just learn Russian and be on the spot when the US and USSR established relations, he could make himself indispensable and start a career in the foreign service. Remarkably, he pulled it of.

How Russia Got That Way
September 20, 2025

How Russia Got That Way

A fast-paced crash course in Russian history, from Norsemen to Navalny, that explores the ways the Kremlin uses history to achieve its ends.

Fish
February 01, 2010

Fish

This mesmerizing novel from one of Russia’s most important modern authors traces the life journey of a selfless Russian everywoman. In the wake of the Soviet breakup, inexorable forces drag Vera across the breadth of the Russian empire. Facing a relentless onslaught of human and social trials, she swims against the current of life, countering adversity and pain with compassion and hope, in many ways personifying Mother Russia’s torment and resilience amid the Soviet disintegration.

Steppe
July 15, 2022

Steppe

This is the work that made Chekhov, launching his career as a writer and playwright of national and international renown. Retranslated and updated, this new bilingual edition is a super way to improve your Russian.

Davai! The Russians and Their Vodka
November 01, 2012

Davai! The Russians and Their Vodka

In this comprehensive, quixotic and addictive book, Edwin Trommelen explores all facets of the Russian obsession with vodka. Peering chiefly through the lenses of history and literature, Trommelen offers up an appropriately complex, rich and bittersweet portrait, based on great respect for Russian culture.

About Us

Russian Life is a publication of a 30-year-young, award-winning publishing house that creates a bimonthly magazine, books, maps, 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