Russian vodka in exile
01 August 2024
The Luxembourg-based vodka producer Stoli Group is subject to Russian sanctions. Russian prosecutors have labelled the company as an extremist organisation. Stoli boss Yuri Shefler's assets in Russia have been frozen along with a distillery owned by a subsidiary of his second Luxembourg-based spirit company, Amber Beverage Group.
Shefler, who bought the Russian Stolichnaya vodka brand in 1997, renamed it Stoli in 2022 to distance it from Moscow. Prosecutors in Russia allege that Shefler and his companies have supported Ukraine with €38 million euros since the start of Russia's invasion. Stoli released a special edition of its vodka in 2022 to fundraise for Ukraine. At the time, Shefler said it was for humanitarian aid to the NGO World Central Kitchen.
Stolichnaya used to be Russia's most consumed vodka brand. Another large vodka producer, the British company Diageo, withdrew their most famous product, Smirnoff vodka, from Russia in 2022.
 | Franziska Peschel Despite several large producers having withdrawn from the market, the vodka supply for Russians is secured. Several brands are loyal to the Kremlin – first and foremost, Putinka, produced by a state-owned distillery. Although Vladimir Putin doesn’t drink a drop of alcohol, he earned up to €460 million from the Putinka sale, the Russian investigative media Proekt revealed last year. |
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