It’s not just the armed conflict that causes tragedies within the Russian population. There is also the trafficking of alcoholic beverages. Sixteen people died and 35 were injured in Russia after drinking adulterated cider, the governor of the Ulyanovsk region on the Volga announced on Monday. “The number of victims of alcohol poisoning in the Ulyanovsk region continues to rise. According to the latest information, 35 people were injured (…) 16 people died,” Governor Alexei Rousskikh announced on Telegram.
Nineteen people were hospitalized in various clinics and “doctors are fighting for the lives of each of them”, he said. According to Russian media, the victims consumed an alcohol called “Mister Cidre” which contained methanol, a highly toxic product. This drink was marketed in some stores selling alcohol. The Russian authorities opened an investigation and ordered the seizure of the contaminated batches.
Deaths, not the first time
Deaths due to adulterated alcohol are not uncommon in Russia, where the price of drinks sold in large stores can be prohibitive for millions of poor Russians, especially in provinces where the standard of living is very low.
As of October 2021, 35 people had died after being poisoned by alcohol in two different incidents in Russia. In 2016, more than 60 people were killed in Irkutsk in Siberia after ingesting a bath oil imitating a known brand of hawthorn essence and where ethanol had been replaced by methanol.