Vodka and Covid Not Main Causes of High Mortality Rates in Russia, Experts Say

Paul Goble

            Staunton, Oct. 19 – In the 1990s, officials blamed high mortality levels in Russia on vodka consumption; and now, they blame the covid pandemic. But vodka consumption has fallen, and even government officials concede that more than half of all adult male deaths arise from causes unconnected with the coronavirus, Andrey Nalgin says.

            Instead, the main causes of premature deaths in Russia are to be found elsewhere: the optimization of health care which means that many illnesses that could be treated and cured aren’t identified until too late, growing stress levels in the population, and incomes far too low to support an adequate way of life, the commentator says (publizist.ru/blogs/114196/41198/-).

            As officials concede, a third of the premature deaths in Russia occur before people reach pension age, something that saves the government money as far as pensions are concerned but represents an indictment of the Russian system, a charge that can’t be dismissed by pointing to historical consumption of vodka or the new challenge of the pandemic.

            Vodka consumption has in fact fallen, Nalgin says. In 1995, 81.4 percent of all alcohol sold in the Russian Federation consisted of distilled spirits; but by 2018, that figure had fallen to 36.4 percent. Instead, Russians were consuming more wine and beer, beverages far less likely to cause premature deaths.

            Government figures show that 55 percent of all premature deaths in Russia are the result of illnesses of the pulmonary and circulatory systems, illnesses that in the West are much reduced in number by early detection and treatment. But Russians now have less access to such life-saving measures.

            As a result of Vladimir Putin’s healthcare “optimization” program, Russians living outside of major cities do not have access to healthcare often enough to get early treatment. In the big cities, there have been amazing advances in treatments; but in smaller cities and rural areas, few ever have a chance for such life-saving measures.

            And combined with the rising stress levels the new socio-political system imposes on people from all sides and income levels too low to provide a cushion against their impact, Russians are dying earlier and from illnesses caused by government policies rather than by cultural tradition or the impact of pandemics.