Shocker

Russia has set a minimum priced aimed to reducing the country's alcoholism:

From January 1, any 0.5l vodka bottle selling at below 89 rubles (almost $3) will be outlawed.
The price ban is one of the first government steps toward regulating the domestic alcohol market.

This is not the first time that Russia has attempted to reduce alcoholism with measures against alcohol sales:

Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev introduced prohibition in the Soviet Union in May 1985 in an attempt to put a halt to the rampant alcoholism that was already taking its toll on the nation's economy and health system. His efforts to steer the Soviets to abstinence were ultimately unsuccessful, however, and the illicit production of moonshine - 'samogon' - rocketed, not to mention a sudden rise in sales of medicinal and industrial spirit. The never-popular policy of prohibition was later quietly dropped.

I'm actually very interested in seeing how effective this measurement is. Prohibition already failed in Russia as it did in the US and I wonder whether the minimum price will lead to more unregulated distilleries/production of moonshine. I think it's highly unlikely that this measure works, though I hope it does.