Those sneaky Russians!

They’ve been calling beer “foodstuffs” all this time and not “alcohol” like the rest of us. The regulation of alcohol advertising and night-time sales is heavily affected by this, and thus pretty much anything goes. But a new law will soon change that, introducing Russia to the 21st century where everyone else lives.

Understandably, this new regulation comes as a shock to some Russian citizens

According to this piece in The Telegraph, Russia is now the third or the fourth biggest beer market in the world by net consumption after China and the United States. “But with a historic penchant for strong spirits such as vodka, many ordinary Russians regard beer as a soft drink. It is not uncommon to see men swigging a can of beer on their way to work or teenagers downing a swift lunchtime beer or two in the park!

But reality will soon kick in when Russia passes a new law that legally classifies beer as an alcoholic drink. This the toughest anti-alcohol campaign since the fall of the Soviet Union.”

[Source: The Telegraph]