Norway bans Russian alcohol from wine shops following Ukraine invasion

OSLO (Reuters) – Norwegian liquor stores are removing Russian-made alcoholic beverages from their shelves following the invasion of Ukraine, Norway’s alcohol monopoly said on Tuesday.

Vinmonopolet’s shops are the only ones allowed to sell wine and hard liquor in Norway, except for duty-free stores at airports.

The ban means that Russian vodka will no longer be on sale at Vinmonopolet’s stores and that customers will no longer be able to buy Russia-made wines and beers that had been available on order.

“This is a decision taken because of the Russian invasion of Ukraine,” a spokesperson for the monopoly told Reuters.

The move follows similar decisions made in neighbouring Finland and Sweden, which also have state monopolies selling alcohol.

(Reporting by Victoria Klesty, editing by Terje Solsvik)