Around 500,000 Russians die due to alcohol abuse every year, Russia's health and safety watchdog said in a statement Monday.
More teenagers and women of childbearing age have started consuming alcohol, which lowers life expectancy and contributes to the number of untimely deaths in the country, the statement said.
The government has been trying to ameliorate the problem by banning the sale of alcohol at night and in small kiosks and shops. In 2012, all alcohol advertisement was banned.
In 2013, overall alcohol consumption in Russia decreased by 13 percent. According to the World Health Organization, Russia was the fourth heaviest-drinking nation in the world behind Belarus, Moldova and Lithuania.
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