Russian president Vladimir Putin might have been standing tall after the rapid fall in oil prices, however, Russia’s strong man did not adopt the same attitude when it came to vodka.

The Russian president proposed on Wednesday to put a ceiling on the price of vodka in an attempt to maintain its high popularity amid the deepening economic crisis in the country.

During a meeting with government officials, Mr. Putin has estimated that continuous increase in prices of alcohol encourages illegal manufacture of alcoholic beverages, posing “Great risks to public health than those manufactured and sold legally”.

Of course cheap vodka for everyone may not be the best idea since, according to studies of leading international universities, 25% of Russian men die before their 55th birthday due to alcoholism.