Suspected Alcohol Poisoning Claims 19 Lives in Russia’s Leningrad Region

At least 19 people have died this month from suspected alcohol poisoning in Russia’s western Leningrad region, local authorities confirmed on Friday.

Mass fatalities linked to the consumption of cheap, home-made alcohol substitutes are not uncommon in Russia, a country long plagued by widespread alcoholism. According to the regional government’s press service, “19 deaths after alcohol consumption were recorded in the Slantsy District in September,” with eight of those cases already confirmed in laboratory tests as methanol poisoning.

Investigators disclosed that a man and a woman have been detained as part of a criminal case probing the distribution of counterfeit alcohol in the district. The development follows similar tragedies in recent years. Earlier this week, prosecutors handed nearly 10-year prison sentences to two individuals found guilty of producing and selling fake cider that killed 50 people in 2023.

Russia has witnessed repeated cases of mass alcohol-related deaths, including the 2016 Irkutsk disaster, where more than 60 people died after consuming contraband bath oil containing methanol. The incident prompted tougher regulations on alcohol substitutes, but illicit spirits remain widely available, especially in rural areas with high poverty levels and where legal vodka is priced beyond reach.