Cheap Alcohol Kills Russians: Raw Video

Cheap and illicit alcohol kills more than half of Russian men and women in their most productive years and the government must act urgently to reverse the trend, according to a recent study published in medical journal The Lancet.

Russia's mortality rate in people aged 15-54 years was more than five times higher for men and three times higher for women than in Western Europe, the study showed.

"Excessive alcohol consumption by the majority of Russian population has caused a great number of all the deaths in Russia, particularly among men," David Zaridze, head of the Russian Cancer Research Centre and one of the authors of the Lancet study told Reuters.

Alcohol is responsible for about three quarters of the deaths of all Russian men aged 15-54 and about half of all deaths of Russian women of the same age, the data showed.

Store shelves across Russia are laden with cheap vodka that costs between 60 roubles (1.92 USD) and 80 roubles (2.56 USD) per half litre bottle, while Russia's illicit alcohol production is estimated to account for at least 50 percent of consumption.

"Here in Russia we have the cheapest alcohol in the world. Nowhere in the world you can buy vodka or strong alcohol for two dollars or two euros, or two pounds. In our shops you can buy vodka for 70 -80 roubles which is absolutely unacceptable," Zaridze said.

A United Nations report released earlier this year showed that poor diet leading to heart disease, heavy drinking and the high incidence of violent deaths may cut Russia's present population of some 142 million to around 131 million by 2025.

"If this trend keeps on then in the nearest future one third or 25 percent of Russian men will not live to the age of 55," Zaridze added.

The Moscow Research Institute of Psychiatry, estimated Russia has an annual consumption at 15 litres of pure alcohol per capita, including children and elderly people. This compares to just 6 litres in 1864.

It is estimated Russia has some 2.5 million registered alcoholics and about the same number of unregistered ones.

"It is a disaster. Something must be done about it, because young people drink too much, and then lie around on the roads. Our authorities must do something about it," Andrei, a Moscow resident said.

Recently Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said alcoholism had become a "national disaster".

Medvedev said measures aimed at reducing binge drinking had not reduced alcoholism in Russia, where downing vast amounts of vodka at one sitting is an integral part of national culture.

Moscow resident Georgy thinks it is a losing battle.

"It is useless to fight. Here people will keep drinking as they used to. If they implement bans, people will make alcohol themselves and sell it illegally. I think it is impossible to fight this, but necessary," he said.

A 1986 anti-alcohol campaign by Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev led to a boom in illegal production of low-quality alcohol, and Russians learned to drink perfumes and other household liquids made from alcohol.

Russian officials say about 30-50 percent of Russia's vodka market is illegal and untaxed. Many officials say a state vodka monopoly would bring order to the market and make it easier to control.