Illegal alcohol production in Russia will be monitored from space

The order of the Ministry of Finance, prescribing to monitor the illegal production of alcohol from space, came into force on Tuesday, December 3.

The document amends the "List of risk indicators of violation of mandatory requirements in the implementation of federal state control (supervision) in the production and turnover of ethyl alcohol, alcoholic and alcohol-containing products", approved by the Ministry of Finance on June 29, 2023.

The amendments prescribe the use of data obtained by remote sensing of the earth by satellites to detect fluctuations in heat emissions from the building and the presence of smoke, as well as to track the movement of railroad and cargo transport near the building.

"We are consistently pursuing a comprehensive policy to combat surrogates: we are tightening control over the production and turnover of medical and technical alcohols, revising the rules for licensing and alcohol trade. Control over closed production facilities, where there is equipment for the production of ethyl alcohol, is part of this strategy," Sergei Altukhov, deputy chairman of the State Duma Committee on Economic Policy, told the Parliamentary Gazette.

He noted that suspicious transportation activity and heat emissions are indirect signs that may indicate the presence of clandestine production in the building. Satellite data will help controlling authorities to pay close attention to such facilities.

Earlier, on October 25, Vadim Drobiz, director of the Center for Research of Federal and Regional Alcohol Markets (CIFRRA), said that there is no counterfeit alcohol in legal retail since 2017, and this was helped by the introduction of the Unified State Automated Information System (USAS). At the same time, you can not buy alcohol in illegal outlets, from the hands and on the Internet - there is a lot of counterfeit. For example, in the Web, which is a prohibited channel for selling alcoholic beverages, up to 90% of counterfeits.