Russia to sharply raise duties on imported alcohol from ‘unfriendly’ countries

The report said the move is intended to help blunt a fall in demand for Russian-made brandy and whiskey. Since September 2024, Moscow has applied a duty on spirits equal to 20 percent of the customs value, but not less than EUR3 per liter of pure alcohol in the beverage.

Andrey Moskovsky, head of the Alkopro industry association, called the planned increase “quite serious” and said it would drive significant price growth. He said he expects sales of the most popular foreign alcohol brands to fall and the range of imported products available in Russia to shrink.

Ruslan Bragin, head of the spirits division at wine-trade company Fort, said the higher duties will raise import costs and that producers and distributors will pass some of those costs on to consumers. He added that the share of imported alcohol in the lower and middle price segments is likely to decline.

Kommersant also reported that the average price per liter of vodka in Russia rose 6.11 percent since the start of 2026.