The lawyer appreciated the new restrictions on the sale of alcohol

Dmitry Terentyev, managing partner of the law firm and an expert at the Moscow branch of Opora Russia, commented on the new restrictions on alcohol sales.

In an interview with Radio 1 on Tuesday, December 23, he noted that restrictions are now being introduced on the retail sale of alcohol in shops and catering establishments located in apartment buildings with exits to the courtyard. He explained that the exceptions apply to facilities without such exits, but only if they are located no further than 30 m from the roadway, and the sale of alcohol is prohibited at a greater distance. Also, according to him, in catering establishments, except for restaurants, in the territories adjacent to residential buildings, a ban on the sale of alcohol at night is introduced — from 23:00 to 08:00.

According to Terentyev, restaurants are once again an exception, but the very concept of "adjacent territory" is not legally specified, which can cause a lot of controversy. He added that it will be possible to pay for alcohol only during the permitted hours, which will complicate the work of establishments and may lead to splitting bills or changing the order of service. In his opinion, bars will be particularly vulnerable, while part of the market may shift to the restaurant segment.

In general, the expert emphasized, the combination of new requirements will lead to higher prices, an increase in the tax burden and a reduction in the number of establishments. Although the measures are aimed at protecting the interests of residents, they simultaneously limit entrepreneurs and the availability of catering for citizens. The expert expressed doubt that such restrictions would reduce alcohol consumption, suggesting that they would rather provoke the growth of the illegal market and shift alcohol consumption to the home environment.

Night Watch: in Russia, it was proposed to ban the operation of convenience stores

The authors of the initiative believe this will help to combat the sale of alcohol after 23:00

Earlier on December 23 360.ru He said that since the beginning of the year, specialists from the Moscow region Ministry of Agriculture have checked over 2,000 retail facilities and identified 667 violations of alcohol sales rules. As a result, more than 11.2 thousand bottles of alcoholic beverages were withdrawn from circulation.

On December 17, it was reported that in the Moscow region, from March 1 next year, the sale of alcoholic beverages in public catering outlets located in residential courtyards will be limited to two hours a day — from 13:00 to 15:00. The relevant law was adopted by the Moscow City Duma, RT notes.

On December 16, Andrei Svintsov, a member of the State Duma Committee on Information Policy, said that any additional opportunities for the spontaneous purchase of alcohol were undesirable. Thus, he criticized the idea of alcohol delivery to the house, according to NSN.

In November Pravda.Ru She wrote that the time limit for alcohol sales in the Moscow region is aimed at combating establishments that formally operate as cafes, but in fact are places of regular violations of order. Earlier, the sale of alcohol in stores located in courtyards was already banned in the region: the rule applies from September 1, 2025.

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