July 06, 2025

Waiting 21 Years for Tipples?


Waiting 21 Years for Tipples?
Teenagers and booze. What could go wrong? The Russian Life files

On July 3, Russian state media outlet Izvestia reported that the State Duma is debating a bill that would raise the drinking age from 18 to 21.

The author of the bill is Senator Maria Sidukhina, who said that the only way to prevent alcohol-related issues, especially in young people, is to "establish a restriction on the sale of all types of alcoholic beverages to persons under 21 years of age." Alcohol consumption, she said in the explanatory note filed alongside the bill, is related to "a negative impact on a person’s physical condition, and also contributes to the destruction of social relationships and hinders the development of the human personality."

Still, some say a new law is unlikely. In Russia, age 18 is legal adulthood, meaning that it is at that time that people gain increased agency. Opponents of the bill argue that the current restriction is in line with this philosophy.

Indeed, worldwide, the drinking age of 18 is widespread. Only a handful of countries have a 21-year age limit. As notable exceptions, Central Eurasian countries and the United States have set their drinking age at 21.

Still, Russia is, of course, renowned for its drinking culture. But perhaps a little less is a good thing?

You Might Also Like

A Singer Diversifies
  • October 20, 2024

A Singer Diversifies

The notoriously pr-Kremlin rock star Shaman has filed trademarks for alcoholic beverages, household goods, and sex toys.
Drinking in Russia
  • February 14, 2007

Drinking in Russia

Russian customs and traditions regarding the consumption of water, tea and vodka.
Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of Our Books

Jews in Service to the Tsar

Jews in Service to the Tsar

Benjamin Disraeli advised, “Read no history: nothing but biography, for that is life without theory.” With Jews in Service to the Tsar, Lev Berdnikov offers us 28 biographies spanning five centuries of Russian Jewish history, and each portrait opens a new window onto the history of Eastern Europe’s Jews, illuminating dark corners and challenging widely-held conceptions about the role of Jews in Russian history.
White Magic

White Magic

The thirteen tales in this volume – all written by Russian émigrés, writers who fled their native country in the early twentieth century – contain a fair dose of magic and mysticism, of terror and the supernatural. There are Petersburg revenants, grief-stricken avengers, Lithuanian vampires, flying skeletons, murders and duels, and even a ghostly Edgar Allen Poe.
Bears in the Caviar

Bears in the Caviar

Bears in the Caviar is a hilarious and insightful memoir by a diplomat who was “present at the creation” of US-Soviet relations. Charles Thayer headed off to Russia in 1933, calculating that if he could just learn Russian and be on the spot when the US and USSR established relations, he could make himself indispensable and start a career in the foreign service. Remarkably, he pulled it of.
The Little Humpbacked Horse (bilingual)

The Little Humpbacked Horse (bilingual)

A beloved Russian classic about a resourceful Russian peasant, Vanya, and his miracle-working horse, who together undergo various trials, exploits and adventures at the whim of a laughable tsar, told in rich, narrative poetry.
Murder at the Dacha

Murder at the Dacha

Senior Lieutenant Pavel Matyushkin has a problem. Several, actually. Not the least of them is the fact that a powerful Soviet boss has been murdered, and Matyushkin's surly commander has given him an unreasonably short time frame to close the case.
Dostoyevsky Bilingual

Dostoyevsky Bilingual

Bilingual series of short, lesser known, but highly significant works that show the traditional view of Dostoyevsky as a dour, intense, philosophical writer to be unnecessarily one-sided. 
Turgenev Bilingual

Turgenev Bilingual

A sampling of Ivan Turgenev's masterful short stories, plays, novellas and novels. Bilingual, with English and accented Russian texts running side by side on adjoining pages.
Woe From Wit (bilingual)

Woe From Wit (bilingual)

One of the most famous works of Russian literature, the four-act comedy in verse Woe from Wit skewers staid, nineteenth century Russian society, and it positively teems with “winged phrases” that are essential colloquialisms for students of Russian and Russian culture.
The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas

The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas

This exciting new trilogy by a Russian author – who has been compared to Orhan Pamuk and Umberto Eco – vividly recreates a lost world, yet its passions and characters are entirely relevant to the present day. Full of mystery, memorable characters, and non-stop adventure, The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas is a must read for lovers of historical fiction and international thrillers.  
A Taste of Chekhov

A Taste of Chekhov

This compact volume is an introduction to the works of Chekhov the master storyteller, via nine stories spanning the last twenty years of his life.

About Us

Russian Life is a publication of a 30-year-young, award-winning publishing house that creates a bimonthly magazine, books, maps, and other products for Russophiles the world over.

Latest Posts

Our Contacts

Russian Life
73 Main Street, Suite 402
Montpelier VT 05602

802-223-4955