Can Policy Overcome Tradition? Assessing Russia's Ongoing Anti‐Alcohol Campaign

Abstract

Even following the years of economic and demographic crisis of the 1990s, the Russian Federation still ranks among the hardest drinking countries on earth, with alarming consequences for public health. In 2009, then-president Dmitry Medvedev initiated the most ambitious campaign against drunkenness since the collapse of the Soviet Union. Based on preliminary evidence from official and unofficial sources, this article attempts an early consideration of the effectiveness of Russia's new alcohol-control policies. Alcohol-related mortality statistics show continued improvement since the beginning of the campaign, while alcohol consumption statistics are more ambiguous, casting doubt as to the effectiveness of the policies begun in 2009.