OREANDA-NEWS Every fifth bottle of strong alcohol in Russia is illegal, such data are named in a study by the Financial Research Institute (NIFI) of the Ministry of Finance, writes TASS.

The share of illegal alcohol trafficking in the country is 19.58 percent. In the category of grape wines, it is equal to 16.5 percent, sparkling wines - 15.7 percent, vermouth and flavored wines - 38.5 percent.

The largest share of illicit trafficking falls on the category of fermented alcoholic beverages (cider, mead and others— - 44.7 percent. The share of illegal beer products was 27 percent. The study says that the volume of the Russian alcohol market is 20.9 million packages per year (of which 15.7 million are beer).

One of the ways that can reduce illegal turnover in the alcohol industry, the authors of the study call digital labeling.

According to the results of last year, the consumption of vodka per capita in Russia increased. Compared to 2020, this figure increased by two percent and reached five liters per person.

The head of the CIFRRA, Vadim Drobiz, noted that the vodka market has been demonstrating stability over the past four years. Sales of strong drink are growing slightly or are not changing. This is caused by crisis situations, including the COVID-19 pandemic. The President of the Union of Producers of Alcoholic Beverages Igor Kosarev added that the fight against illegal alcohol is getting tougher, so the indicators of its consumption are becoming more realistic.