From January 1, the minimum retail price of vodka in Russia has increased by 60 rubles (€0.65). The changes were recorded in the December order of the Ministry of Finance. Now the cheapest bottle of vodka with a volume of 0.5 l will be 409 rubles (€4.41), Russian media list.
In addition to vodka, the prices of brandy and cognac have also increased - to 605 (€6.52) rubles and 755 rubles (€8.14), respectively.
Minimum prices for alcoholic beverages are established in Russia annually. The Ministry of Finance has been doing this for vodka since 2009 in order to combat illegal production.
Since 2011, minimum prices have also been established for cognac and brandy.
Retail sales of vodka in Russia have been declining for several months in a row, according to data from Rosalkogoltbakkontrol.
For the period January-November 2025, 66.3 million decaliters were sold, and for the same period in 2024 - 68.7 million decaliters. Sales of cognac are also falling.
Relatively stable among alcoholic beverages is the category of "other alcoholic beverages", which includes whiskey, gin, rum and tequila.
The data show that wealthy Russians continue to drink expensive drinks, while the rest of Russians are betting on moonshine.