The Modern History of Russia in 14 Bottles of Vodka. How Business, Corruption and Crime Are Mixed into Russia's Main Drink

Vodka is one of the unofficial symbols of Russia: a drink we can’t imagine our lives without, and even harder to understand without it. And it’s also a multibillion-dollar, incredibly profitable business. Where there’s money, there’s blood, power, dizzying rises and falls—and, of course, silence. This book breaks the silence around super-profitable assets and brands familiar to everyone. Journalist Denis Puzyrev traces the social, economic, and political history of vodka after the collapse of the USSR. Why is the world’s most famous vodka—“Stolichnaya”—no longer Russian? What happened to Vladimir Dovgan? How are Vladislav Surkov, the first Maidan, and “Putinka” connected? Was it possible to stop shipments of counterfeit vodka under Putin? How did his closest friend take over the market? How many people died in the battles for spirit distilleries? “The Newest History of Russia in 14 Bottles of Vodka” reveals the events of the last thirty years with an unexpected, thought-provoking perspective.