Almost constantly for the past several months, the Russian authorities have reported reductions in the legal production and consumption of alcohol. It's true that Russians weathering an economic recession have started drinking less (when it comes to alcohol sold legally, anyhow), and alcohol sales have been hit, too, by a ban on selling liquor in the middle of the night. Nevertheless, when examined in absolute figures, Russia's situation with alcohol is still a nightmare.
Sources: the Russian Federal State Statistics Service, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Federal Service for Supervision of Consumer Rights Protection and Human Well-Being, the Federal Service for Alcohol Market Regulation, and the Federal Customs Service of Russia
