Activists Find Nameless Bottles, File Police Reports

Residents of the Samara region have stopped waiting for top-down inspections and have started looking for dangerous alcohol in stores themselves. Activists personally buy suspicious products, record violations on video, and immediately take complaints to the police. This was reported by journalist Ksenia Shtefan on her Telegram channel.

One such raid took place in Chapayevsk. A local activist shared a video in which he buys bottles of cheap vodka late at night. They have no labels, no excise stamps, and no information about the manufacturer. The price is 100-300 rubles ($1-$3 at current rates).

«Based on the stated facts, I can conclude that this is undoubtedly of counterfeit origin,» he wrote in his statement to law enforcement.

This civic activism has emerged against the backdrop of high-profile criminal cases of poisoning by surrogate alcohol in the region. Only in the case of «Mr. Cider», which was produced in Samara, 50 people died. And recently, a trader from Voskresenka was sentenced to three years in prison for selling a methanol mixture that killed three people.

Judging by the video from Chapayevsk, the problem has not disappeared. Activists find «ghost bottles» on shelves without any identifying marks. And now they are not just complaining on social media, but acting within the law — gathering evidence and officially reporting possible counterfeit sales to the police.

Law enforcement agencies now have to check each such report. After all, trading in counterfeit alcohol can now result not in administrative but criminal liability. Especially if the alcohol is proven to be life-threatening.