Absolut vodka will no longer arrive in Russia: the reasons

Absolut vodka will no longer be exported to Russia. This was confirmed by a spokesman for the French group of alcoholic beverages Pernod Ricardowner of the Swedish company The Absolut Company, months after cutting sales to the European country following its invasion of Ukraine.

Pernod said it made the decision to suspend Absolut supplies to Russia entirely because of “a duty of care to our employees and partners“.

The company did so in response to criticism it received for having resumed its distribution in the presided country Vladimir Putin.

The decision had been heavily criticized by various politicians, including the Swedish prime minister, Ulf Kristersson, who had expressed his “disappointment”. “We cannot expose them to mass criticism in all its forms. Therefore, The Absolut Company has decided to stop exporting its brand to Russia,” he said.

Parallel market

In other words, Pernod Ricard has stopped selling Absolut vodka (Absolut only, no other drinks) to protect its home team from criminal liability charges.

It’s worth noting that the heads of some companies that are leaving Russia for allegedly the same reason as Absolut are wary of allowing production to halt out of concern they believe they are purposely putting companies out of business.

In its attempts to protect its inhabitants from isolation from the West, the Russian government has compiled a list of products which it has included in a scheme called “parallel imports”.

“For clarity, this unfortunately will not prevent Absolut from falling into the hands of the ‘parallel market’, which has increased significantly in recent months and over which we have no control,” Pernod said.

Pernod Ricard continues to supply a limited number of other brands in Russia. These explanations did not convince Sweden, where several famous Stockholm bars and restaurants stopped selling Pernod Ricard products.