Israel has more than quadrupled purchases of Russian vodka in the last year, reaching $24.7 million on an annual basis and becoming the top importer of the product, RIA Novosti has reported.
According to the outlet’s calculations, which are based on data from the UN Comtrade platform, the figure represents a jump from $5.7 million in 2021.
Germany ranked second, reducing imports of Russian vodka from $43.4 million in 2021 to just $7.5 million in 2022. Armenia was third on the list, despite almost halving its imports of Russian-made spirits from $13.2 million to $6.9 million last year.
The UK, previously the long-time leader of the rating, slid to fourth place, with $5.5 million worth of imports in 2022. British purchases of Russian-made vodka at one time amounted to more than $50 million annually, but it has reduced its imports since 2021.
RIA calculations also show that the top ten consumers of Russian vodka include the US, Georgia, Azerbaijan, the Czech Republic, Bulgaria, and Slovakia.
As part of anti-Russian sanctions adopted in 2022, the US, EU, Japan, and Canada have limited the import of Russian products that they deem important for Moscow’s budget revenues. The restrictions also include alcoholic beverages, primarily vodka.
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