Russia is well known as country of great alcohol consumption and little is ever said concerning alcoholism. So it might not be too difficult to fathom that on average 42,000 Russians die each year from alcohol related illness.

But many of those deaths have little to do with over consumption and everything to do with counterfeit booze and poor government regulation. Quite often, a cheap bottle of vodka sold in Russia can contain cheap perfume, cleaning liquid, aftershave, and just about anything that might pass as a strong drink.

Fortunately, Russians are no longer ignoring the scourge of alcohol related poisonings. Russian media and government circles have been debating the issue hotly in recent months, after the release of figures shows that the average life expectancy in Russia has fallen to 66, 14 years shorter than their EU neighbors.

Some Russians are suspicious of the recent attention to the age-old problem.

Some believe the problem increased after government regulations shortened the supply of quality vodka, driving desperate drinkers to cheaper counterfeits. Others accuse the government of attempting to create a media frenzy in order to impose a state-run monopoly on alcohol production.

Reports from across the country tell of police busts of large quantities of foul counterfeit vodka containing rust removers and cleaning fluid.