OREANDA-NEWS Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a law expanding the powers of the regions in order to combat the so-called "nalivayki" and tightening requirements for alcoholic beverages.

The relevant document is posted on the website of the official publication of legal acts.

The law gives regions the right to impose additional restrictions on the sale of alcohol, including at catering points in apartment buildings and/or in the territories adjacent to them. In particular, regions can establish by their laws that only restaurants, bars, cafes and buffets can sell low-alcohol beverages (beer, cider, poiret, mead) from catering facilities.

In addition, regions will be able to limit the time of sale of all alcoholic beverages at catering outlets (with the exception of restaurants) located in apartment buildings and adjacent territories. Previously, the subjects of the Russian Federation had the right to restrict the sale of strong alcohol only.

In addition, the law prohibits the production of beer drinks from purchased beer and the addition of ethyl alcohol to alcoholic beverages, unless this is provided for by the requirements of state standards and technical regulations. It is also prohibited to use names of alcoholic beverages that mislead consumers about their type and composition. These changes are being made to prevent mass poisoning of people with surrogate alcohol such as "Mr. Cider".

In addition, until 2025, the law exempts alcohol retailers (organizations and individual entrepreneurs) from the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics, Zaporozhye and Kherson regions from liability for violations in accounting for the turnover of alcoholic beverages and failure to provide information to the USAIS on its purchase and sale.

The law comes into force on April 1, 2024, and the provisions exempting alcohol retailers from liability in the new regions of Russia - from the date of the official publication of the law and apply to legal relations that arose on January 1, 2024.