MOSCOW, Russia: Fourteen people have died of alcohol poisoning in Russia, officials said on Friday, with investigators launching criminal probes. An additional eight people were hospitalized in the region of Orenburg, around 1,500 kilometers (930 miles) southeast of Moscow in the southern Urals. 'As of now, we know of 22 victims, 14 of whom have died,' the governor's office said on messaging app Telegram. Gov. Denis Pasler said regional authorities had launched inspections of alcohol distributors. Homemade spirits and household products containing alcohol are popular throughout the former Soviet Union as a cheap alternative to standard brands, but are also blamed for many alcohol-related deaths. Those who buy them to drink are usually the most socially disadvantaged.
