The upcoming increase in the price of vodka in Russia is associated with the risk of factories moving to the “gray” sector of the economy.

• The minimum price for the sale of alcoholic beverages is set by the Ministry of Finance of Russia. The previous increase took effect on July 1, 2024.
• According to Terentyev, the minimum sales price for alcoholic beverages was introduced by the state as a kind of minimum cost that allows producers to cover the costs of producers and make a small profit.

“The minimum price, as a rule, increased every year and a half or two years, but in the last year inflationary processes have intensified and the cost of alcoholic beverages is constantly growing. The state is forced to increase the minimum price for alcoholic products so that producers do not enter the “gray” sector of the economy,” Terentyev said.

A draft order of the Ministry of Finance (ID151607) is published on the federal portal for draft regulatory laws (ID151607) that increases the minimum sales price for alcoholic beverages with a concentration greater than 28%. The expert assessed the probability of this order being adopted as “quite high.”

How will the minimum price for vodka, brandy and cognac increase from January 1, 2025?

According to data published in the draft order of the Ministry of Finance, the retail price of vodka will increase from 299 rubles to 349 rubles per half-liter bottle, and that of cognac – from 556 rubles to 651 rubles. Purchase prices from manufacturers and intermediaries will increase in the same way.

In November, Russian Prosecutor General Igor Krasnov called for an audit of rising milk prices. Soyuzmolok RB.RU explained the increase in prices by the increase in industrial costs against the background of a record increase in the key rate (up to 21%).