Alcohol policy has saved lives in the Russian Federation.

Alcohol use has been determined to be one of the main risk factors of, and contributors to, premature mortality in Russia, but no formal analysis of the impact of alcohol control policies has been undertaken so far. The present contribution is a commentary on a policy impact study undertaken by the World Health Organization on the effects of alcohol control measures on mortality and life expectancy in the Russian Federation. As part of the case study, all alcohol control policies in Russia from 1990 to 2018 were examined, and periods with differing policy intensity were distinguished based on the known effectiveness of different measures. Trends in all-cause mortality during these periods, and the shifts in trends between periods, were analysed using interrupted-time series methodology. As predicted, the intensity of alcohol control policies strongly impacted all-cause mortality. The experience of the Russian Federation in reducing the burden of disease caused by alcohol is a strong argument that effective alcohol policies are essential for improving the prospects for long and healthy lives.