Vladimir Putin has recently, on several occasions, expressed concern about the high prevalence of alcoholism in the Russian population.
It belongs to the rarities.
Two sources close to the Russian president’s administration now say this to the independent daily Jellyfish that the concern is about something other than the discouraging statistics.
After the invasion of Ukraine, a number of senior executives and bureaucrats are said to have started drinking alcohol more and more often.
According to sources, the president is particularly concerned about the status of “individuals in his inner circle”.
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– People numb stress
– People have been numbing their stress since February. Ministers, secretaries of state, employees of the president’s administration and the Security Council, some state company executives and governors, says one of the sources.
He says the main reason for this stress is related to the “real damage” that the invasion and subsequent sanctions have inflicted on Russia.
Two other sources close to the Kremlin believe the president’s concern was triggered by what is called a declining discipline.
– Some disappear before an important event, others report indistinctly and confusedly. The public can already see it, says one.
Putin’s concern was first expressed publicly in a Match with the governor of the Kirov region, Alexander Sokolov, and then in a Match with the governor of the Vladimir region, Alexander Avdeev.
The regions are not among those reported to have the highest levels of alcohol addiction among the population.
– There’s no point in sweeping something under the carpet. We have to tackle the most pressing problems. I ask you to prioritize this, Putin said in the first meeting, according to the state news agency Tass.
In a statement to Meduza, spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the president’s statements are due to the fact that the regions of the two governors are “moving out of the general trend” when it comes to reducing alcohol consumption.