18 Dead in Russia Due to Fake Alcohol Again

18 Dead After Drinking Methanol-Containing Alcohol in Yekaterinburg
Russian Federal Investigative Committee Tracking Illegal Sales Gang

[Asia Economy International Department Reporter] Less than ten days after 35 people died from drinking counterfeit alcohol in Russia, a similar incident claimed the lives of more than a dozen residents.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

On the 16th (local time), according to Reuters and other foreign media, the Russian Federal Investigative Committee announced in a statement that 18 people died from alcohol poisoning in Yekaterinburg.

Investigators confirmed that the victims died after consuming alcoholic beverages containing methanol. Methanol is a highly toxic substance primarily used for industrial purposes and is fatal to humans.

The deceased victims were confirmed to have purchased counterfeit alcohol from a single group between the 7th and 14th. Two members of the illegal sales group are currently in custody, and authorities are tracking down the remaining suspects. If found guilty, they could face up to 10 years in prison.

In Russia, counterfeit alcohol has been resurging mainly in provincial cities, causing a series of casualties. On the 7th, in the southern Orenburg region, 36 residents died after purchasing counterfeit vodka.

Last year, seven residents of a village in the Far East lost their lives after drinking hand sanitizers containing methanol. Amid increased demand for hand sanitizers due to the COVID-19 pandemic, they obtained and consumed these products from retail stores, resulting in fatal consequences.

In 2016, 77 residents in Siberia died after drinking bath additives mixed with denatured alcohol, which is different from beverage alcohol.

In Russia, from the early post-Soviet era through the early 2000s, many people consumed counterfeit alcohol or even industrial alcohol due to difficult economic conditions, leading to frequent poisoning deaths. However, such incidents had nearly disappeared in recent years.

The recent resurgence of harm caused by counterfeit alcohol reflects the worsening economic difficulties in Russia due to long-standing Western sanctions and the COVID-19 pandemic.

In regions where the economic impact is particularly severe, residents’ financial hardships have intensified, leading to increased sales of cheap counterfeit alcohol instead of expensive vodka.