FLASH
Shkruar nga Pamfleti
This new year is a bright start for millions of Russians - in the truest sense of the word.
Since January 1, half a liter of vodka costs 17 percent more in Russia.
The price rose from 299 rubles (equivalent to 2.66 euros) to 349 rubles (3.10 euros) overnight.
In a country where the average salary was recently €800, this is painful for many - especially as people are drinking more vodka there than before.
According to Russian state broadcaster RBC, vodka sales between January and October last year reached a new record: 625 million liters of the Russian national drink were sold, an increase of more than 15 percent since 2017.
And: Domestic consumption accounted for the largest share of this (90 percent).
Russians reacted angrily to the price hike.
The Russian Ministry of Finance is responsible for this, having raised the price of vodka for the second time in just a few months since June 2024 (the first time by 6.4 percent).
The background is apparently the war in Ukraine: its continuation is becoming increasingly costly for Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin. The higher taxes are intended to plug the hole that war spending is creating in the national budget.
For Russians this means: Not only is drinking alcohol becoming more expensive, a pack of cigarettes now also costs 5 percent more.
Inflation was around nine percent at the end of the year.
Food prices in particular have risen: according to the statistics agency Rosstat, potatoes rose by 95 percent in one year, butter by 36 percent and olive oil by 31 percent (in November 2024). After all, fuel in Russia is cheaper than almost anywhere else. A liter of gasoline costs only 54 cents.
However: Putin's step is dangerous. History also shows this.
Because the price of vodka has brought an explosion once - in 1981 under Leonid Brezhnev. The Soviet leader raised the price of alcoholic beverages by 18 percent. Dusko Doder, then the Washington Post's Moscow correspondent, reported on the "fury" of the Russians.
Officially, Brezhnev wanted to curb the excessive consumption of vodka by Russians. But Western observers said the increase came to offset defense spending due to the war in Afghanistan.
Russians are said to have rediscovered an old protest song from Lenin's time. "Vodka is at seven and eight, we still drink, we don't give up! Tell Ilic, we can handle ten, but if there are 25, then there will be a revolution again!"
Lini një Përgjigje