Invasion of Ukraine Drives Putin’s Stressed Staff to Start Day With Vodka

(Photo: Mikhail Metzel/Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo/AP)

Putin’s stressed administration is reportedly hitting the booze hard. According to sources, Kremlin staffers, politicians, governors and members of Russia’s elite are looking to alcohol to cope with the invasion of Ukraine. Many Russian staffers are starting their day with a bottle of vodka since the conflict began. 

Versktaka, the independent Russian-language news website, discovered through interviews with multiple sources that Russian politicians and businesspeople have greatly increased their alcohol consumption. 

“Let’s put in this way: Previously, not everyone within the president’s administration would start the day with a glass of vodka,” said a source. “Now, I know many more people who do, and for some, a glass has turned into a bottle.”

The deputy chairman of the Security Council of Russia, Dmitry Medvedev, has been writing Telegram posts. Some of these posts threaten the West with nuclear strikes. Apparently, the former Russian president’s rants and threats of nuclear war are often fueled by alcohol.

Medvedev is not the only high-ranking official who appears to be self-medicating with booze. Sources recount various other officials turning to alcohol. 

“Governors are skipping meetings, using illegal substances … they show up at events hammered,” said a Versktaka source.

It has reportedly gotten to the point where it’s a staffer’s job to get a drunk unidentified governor ready for work each day.

“The day begins with [staffers] either searching for the governor or trying to wake him up with phone calls,” a source told the website, “There is even a designated staffer who is tasked with looking for him.”

This governor requires a drink of Cognac to cure his hangover. He then “sits like a snowman” through meetings.

Those familiar with the current state of the Kremlin say the increased dependence on alcohol is a result of “nervousness related to the news [about the war], pressure from the Kremlin and the local elites.”

The trade sanctions from alcohol brands meant to prevent imports to Russia do not appear to be working. There are reports of Russian politicians still serving premium alcohol at banquets including Rémy Martin Louis XIII Cognac and Château Margaux wine. The amount of booze being drunk at banquets has also increased. 

“Previously, a maximum of one bottle of wine or vodka per person was served at official state banquets,” said a source. “Since the invasion of Ukraine began, the norm has increased, and now 1.5-two bottles of wine or vodka per person are served at the banquets.”

Putin is known to prefer abstaining from alcohol. Sources within the Kremlin have said he “is squeamish about people who drink, alcoholics and those who look the worse for wear in the morning.”

Despite the Russian president’s negative opinion towards alcohol, back in December, he appeared to be drunk in a video while discussing attacks on Ukrainian infrastructure. 

Currently, Ukraine is in the midst of a counter-offensive and the stress around the conflict ever increases. As the war continues, alcohol may not be enough to assuage the Russian elites’ anxiety.

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