Mass alcohol poisoning in the Oil Shale: the death toll is rising

On Friday, September 26, a source from Izvestia reported mass poisoning with surrogate alcohol in the city of Slantsy, Leningrad region. In the morning, as a result of intoxication, first 10 people died, then two more. In total, 19 people died in September, according to the Leningrad Region Health Committee. According to preliminary data, the reason was the unauthorized private production and sale of alcohol "off-hand." The details of the incident are in the Izvestia article.

Poisoning by surrogate alcohol in the Leningrad region

As a result of poisoning with surrogate alcohol in the city of Slantsy, 12 people died, two more are in hospital — such data was received on Friday from a source of Izvestia.

According to preliminary information, all the dead and injured consumed illegally sold alcohol-containing products, after which they developed severe intoxication.

78-year-old Nikolai Boytsov was arrested on suspicion of selling substandard products. During a search of his apartment, empty glass bottles and plastic cans with a volume of up to 10 liters with a characteristic odor of alcohol-containing liquid were found.

Olga Stepanova, 60, was also detained, who reportedly supplied alcohol-containing substances to Boytsov for subsequent bottling and sale.

The Prosecutor's Office of the Leningrad region took special control of the situation. According to the official Telegram channel of the department, the supervisory checks were personally commissioned by the prosecutor of the region, Sergei Zhukovsky.

Currently, a criminal case has been opened on the fact of mass poisoning under part 3 of Article 109 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation "Causing death by negligence."

According to the Health Committee of the Leningrad region, 19 deaths after alcohol consumption were recorded in the Slantsevsky district during September. Of these, methanol led to death in 8 cases. According to preliminary data, the reason was the unauthorized private production and sale of alcohol "by hand." Medical research materials have been transferred to law enforcement agencies.

Mass poisoning in 2023 by "Mr. Cider"

In September, a man guilty of mass poisoning of people with low-quality alcohol was sentenced. Then 50 people died.

The poisonous "Mr. Cider" was sold in bottling in the Samara and Ulyanovsk regions, as well as in chain stores in Udmurtia. For some victims, even a small volume was enough to get to the intensive care unit. In total, according to the investigation, more than a hundred people were poisoned by the drink, half of them did not survive.

In June 2023, specialists from the territorial bodies of Rospotrebnadzor seized 66.5 thousand liters of Mr. Cider surrogate alcohol produced in the Samara region.

On Monday, September 22, 2025, it became known that a court in Samara sentenced the producer of a toxic drink, Anar Huseynov, to nine years in a penal colony. Artyom Hayrapetyan, the supplier of alcohol for the drink, received eight years in prison.

During the investigation, it turned out that Hayrapetyan sold Huseynov 6 tons of dangerous methanol, which he acquired from ex-policeman Ivan Grebenkin and his friends. It is known that they stole alcohol from the warehouse of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia. It has been stored there since 2012. The total amount of claims filed by the victims exceeds 46 million rubles.

What is the danger of surrogate alcohol?

Most of these mass poisonings in Russia are associated with the content of methyl alcohol (methanol) in surrogates, which, when ingested, quickly oxidizes to formaldehyde and formic acid, toxic metabolites that cause metabolic acidosis, optic nerve damage and multiple organ failure.

Clinically, methanol poisoning is manifested by cerebral and gastrointestinal disorders, deterioration or loss of vision, and can lead to death in the absence of timely antidote therapy and dialysis.

If illegal trade is detected, it is necessary to contact the police and the prosecutor's office. At the first sign of intoxication, call an ambulance immediately and do not attempt self—medication.