Alcohol is an important part of Russian culture and economy. It is deeply tied to social life, celebrations, and even politics.
So when a major disruption in alcohol distribution occurs, it quickly becomes a national issue.
Recently, Russia has been experiencing a widespread problem in the production and sale of alcohol due to a system failure, reports Money.
This has led to shortages in many parts of the country, including Moscow.
On March 25, the Federal Service for Alcohol and Tobacco Market Control announced that a power outage had caused delays in registering documents in the EGAIS system.
EGAIS is the national system used to monitor alcohol production and circulation. Officials initially claimed the issue would be resolved within five hours. However, days later, the problem remained.
Businesses have struggled to process documents, preventing them from receiving new shipments.
A distributor told The Moscow Times that most documents sent to the system were not processed.
This caused major disruptions in Krasnoyarsk, where bars could not sell alcohol due to the failure. The issue has affected the entire country.
On March 27, reports emerged claiming the problem had been fixed. However, this turned out to be false.
The worst disruptions have been in Moscow and Siberia. The system has been down for several days, stopping both production and sales.
The EGAIS website and email system also stopped working. The association representing alcohol producers suspects a hacker attack caused the failure, but no official confirmation has been given.
It remains unclear when the issue will be resolved. At the same time, Russians are facing rising vodka prices.
Since January 1, 2025, the minimum price for a half-liter bottle of vodka has increased to 349 rubles. This is up from the previous price of 299 rubles.
The price increase affects all stages of distribution. The minimum selling price by producers has gone up from 246 rubles to 287 rubles, while the wholesale price has risen from 256 rubles to 299 rubles per half-liter.
Russia has regulated minimum vodka prices since 2009 to combat illegal alcohol production.
The government hopes higher prices will make illicit alcohol less competitive. The last price hike occurred in July 2024, when the cost was raised from 281 rubles to 299 rubles.
For Russian consumers, these changes mean they can now buy fewer bottles for the same amount of money.
A worker earning the minimum wage can afford about 55 half-liter bottles of vodka. In contrast, a Polish worker earning the minimum wage can buy around 117 bottles of vodka priced at 30 PLN per bottle.
While these price hikes aim to reduce illegal alcohol sales, they also add financial pressure on everyday consumers.
With the ongoing system failure and increasing costs, the alcohol market in Russia is facing serious challenges.
Businesses are losing money, consumers are frustrated, and authorities remain silent about the true cause of the crisis.
Whether this is a temporary disruption or a sign of deeper issues in the industry remains to be seen.
