Russian alcohol ad ban forces removal of vodka monument

A three-metre high monument to a bottle of vodka in Russia has been torn down after fears it could be seen as illegal advertising.

The giant metal sculpture was erected 13 years ago to mark the 100-year anniversary of the local Glazovskiy spirits factory in Urals Town, Glazov, 600 miles (1,000km) east of Moscow.

According to Reuters, which cites local media reports, initial suspicions believed local Russian authorities were behind the monument’s removal.

However, factory bosses allegedly confirmed that they had taken the decision to remove the sculpture over fears they would be breaching the new advertising laws.

Dmitry Pozdeev, head of the factory’s legal department, said: “The bottle monument…might be considered as an advert for our products. For this reason, a decision was taken to remove it.”

In July last year, President Vladimir Putin signed a bill banning all alcohol advertisements throughout Russia. Another law has also made it illegal for street kiosks to sell alcohol after 11pm as part of a nationwide crackdown on Russia’s alcohol consumption.