President Vladimir Putin is increasingly concerned about excessive alcohol consumption in the presidential administration and in the Russian government, as some officials in Moscow know the true extent of the damage suffered by Ukraine, Meduza writes, citing sources close to the Kremlin.

At a meeting in August with Oleksandr Avdeev, the governor of the Volodymyr region east of Moscow, Putin warned him that “we still need to expand the promotion of a healthy lifestyle,” stressing that it was not an important topic. and that “peasants drink and will drink” in the absence of educational campaigns.

The head of the Kremlin also said that in the fight against alcoholism, it is not necessary to use prohibitions and excessive increases in excise taxes, but “the development of sports infrastructure and due attention to cultural objects.”

Putin’s comments came after he also spoke about alcohol in a meeting with another governor just days ago, lamenting the high level of consumption in mono-industry regions.

“Pay attention to this,” Putin said to the governor of the Kirov region, Oleksandr Sokolov.

Previously, Putin did not show much concern about alcohol consumption in Russia

Putin’s statements surprised both the respective governors and Russian political scientists for two reasons: the regions headed by Sokolov and Avdeev are not among those with a high level of alcohol addiction, and the Russian president has never spoken so much on the subject . in Russia earlier.

One of his rare comments on this matter came in 2016 during his marathon press conference, which the Kremlin holds every year. To the journalist’s question about the fight against counterfeit alcohol after 77 people died from drinking it in Irkutsk.

Putin replied that “alcoholization” is indeed a “problem” for Russia, but then optimistically added that, for example, the countries of Northern Europe drink the same amount (no, not true).

One of the sources cited by investigative journalists of Meduza claims that Sokolov and Avdeev were surprised that the Russian president raised this topic, because alcohol consumption is not “even among the top ten problems” in the regions where I take them.

However, two other Meduza sources explain that Putin began to pay more attention to this problem due to the fact that Russian officials began to drink alcohol much more often and significantly more against the background of the war in Ukraine.

Among the officials who began to drink alcohol excessively, there are important names close to the Kremlin

Sources close to the Kremlin claim that Vladimir Putin is particularly concerned about the condition of “some people from his closest circle”: ministers, their deputies, even some vice prime ministers, employees of the Presidential Administration and the Security Council, heads of state, governors.

Meduza interlocutors also note that the main reason for the high consumption of alcohol among Russian officials close to the Kremlin is the real losses and damages caused by the war in Ukraine, as well as the consequences of Western sanctions.

Putin, on the other hand, seems to believe that officials should take these challenges lightly, even though many of them have been personally sanctioned by Western countries.

As Russian investigative journalists previously wrote, until February 24, even in the highest circles of Moscow, almost no one knew that Vladimir Putin had decided to launch a full-scale war against Ukraine, so many officials were completely confused during the first months of the “special forces operation” and did not know , What shall I do.

The Russian president fears the degradation of discipline in his administration

Meduza’s sources believe that the situation with drunkenness among Russian senior officials and bureaucrats began to worry Putin because “discipline began to suffer”:

“Someone disappears before an important event, someone reports something vague and confusing. They are already seen by the general public.”

Sources close to the Kremlin believe that Putin, being close to the Russian president, will not release the guilty, but for now they will be reprimanded with signals and “gentle requests.”

However, the situation may change: according to “Meduza” sources, a few years ago one of the Russian governors already lost his position precisely because of alcohol addiction.

At a meeting with alcohol producers, Putin contradicted them when they told him that “Russians literally grew up on alcohol.”

“I grew up with mother’s milk (…) Even good, high-quality alcohol is still based on alcohol. It gives power for a very short period of time, then…” the Kremlin leader told them.

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