Russia: Counterfeit alcohol poisoning claims 34 lives in Orenburg region

In the Orenburg region of Russia, around 64 people were poisoned by counterfeit alcohol earlier this week. According to the latest development, 34 of them have died, while 25 have been admitted to hospitals, with seven others being treated as outpatients. As per the reports of TASS news agency, methanol was discovered in the blood of those who had been poisoned, with concentrations three to five times higher than the deadly dose.

Despite the Kremlin's anti-counterfeit alcohol effort, the problem of counterfeit alcohol poisoning has long plagued the country, according to TASS. Over 70 individuals were killed in Irkutsk, Russia, in December 2016 due to the consumption of counterfeit alcoholic beverages.

Those killed by counterfeit alcohol died before receiving medical help

Meanwhile, Tatiana Savinova, the region's health minister, stated that half of those killed by counterfeit alcohol died before receiving medical help. She wrote on the ministry's Instagram account that, 50% of those who consumed the alcohol had died before medics arrived and 94% of those admitted to the hospital died during the first 24 hours. 

On October 7, the region received first reports of cases of counterfeit alcohol poisoning. According to TASS, investigators and police discovered a warehouse and a manufacturing plant, capturing almost 600 litres of alcoholic liquid.

A total of six criminal cases were merged into one. The police seized 1,279 bottles of counterfeit alcohol. During two days of widespread checks, about 800 bottles of illegal alcohol were seized in 11 districts across the Orenburg region. Nine people have been arrested, and eight of them have been ordered to be held in jail.

Russia and alcoholism

Russia has one of the world's highest alcohol consumption rates. According to a World Health Organization estimate from 2011, Russia's yearly per capita alcohol consumption was around 15.76 litres, the fourth highest in Europe. In 2019, it was under 10 litres. 

Alcohol consumption at high levels has major negative consequences for Russia's social fabric, and also has political, economic and public health implications. Since drinking is a prevalent, socially accepted behaviour in Russian society and because alcohol has been a major source of government money for millennia, alcoholism has been an issue throughout the country's history. It has been repeatedly targeted as a major national issue, with variable results.

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