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I have recently noticed an increase of Vodka advertising in my country and I remember that there were some discussions within EU about banning some Russian products.

According to this article, back in 2014, EU was considering a ban on some Russian products that included Vodka:

EU leaders will hold their first detailed discussion next week of specific steps they can take against Russia if Ukraine's elections are not free and fair, including restrictions ranging from luxury goods imports to an oil and gas ban.

I tried to find if these discussions evolved, but could not find information about banning of Vodka.

Question: Have any EU countries (or EU as whole) banned Russian Vodka, at least temporarily? (following Ukraine related issues that triggered sanctions discussions)

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    This question may be more suitable for skeptics.SE. I kind of fail to see any significant relevance to political processes. Anyway, the answer is likely no.
    – NoDataDumpNoContribution
    Commented Mar 6, 2018 at 10:38
  • @Trilarion - Banning some products was discussed by EU leaders, so it is mainly a political discussion. I am interested in the outcomes of these discussions, if any. Also, vodka is something that some people see Russia vodka as part of their tradition, so its ban might have more than just an economical downside.
    – Alexei
    Commented Mar 6, 2018 at 14:05
  • This question is more like a google that for me question, and I'm surprised that it gains a significant number of upvotes. The answer seems to be no. Is it really interesting to know what didn't happen? However, I misjudged the quote of the article and it seems there actually was such a possibility and that means it's on topic.
    – NoDataDumpNoContribution
    Commented Mar 7, 2018 at 11:04

2 Answers 2

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The EU does not currently have a ban on Russian Vodka, and Russian vodkas are available in supermarkets in the EU. Owing to the single market, individual countries cannot unilaterally block trade with Russia.

Ukraine had a general ban on various Russian foods and drinks, including alcohol, which came into effect in Jan. 2016 telegraph

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    I know that it is very difficult to prove the non-existence of something in general but this answer as plausible as it sounds mostly relies on the authority of the answer creator by assuring there is no ban on Russian Vodka. I guess a more proper way to prove that would actually be to present research that leads to the conclusion that there is really no such ban.
    – NoDataDumpNoContribution
    Commented Mar 7, 2018 at 11:06
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    I bought some last week. It is easy to confirm at various supermarket sites that Russian vodka's are for sale in the EU. Look up any major European supermarket and see the range of Vodkas on offer. It isn't hard to find some Russian brands.
    – James K
    Commented Mar 7, 2018 at 14:58
  • You're right. The current status is easy enough to verify. But does it mean Russian Vodka never was banned. For example and as far as I know, Polish apples were banned in Russia for a certain period of time. Probably they are available now again.
    – NoDataDumpNoContribution
    Commented Mar 7, 2018 at 20:47
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As of 2023 Russian-made vodka is commonly available in Czech Republic and other EU countries. Here's one example of an online store selling it:

enter image description here

A store in Ireland has Russian vodka in stock as well:

enter image description here

So the answer is no, Russian vodka is still easy to buy in the EU as of 2023.

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