The factories that produced the most popular vodka in Putinistan stopped working due to the threat of nationalization.

The alcohol factories "Russian North" in Vologda and "Rodnik and K" in Mytishchi near Moscow that produced the popular vodka "Horta" (formerly - "Khortytsia") have stopped production.
Until April 2022, they belonged to the Global Spirits holding of Ukrainian businessman Yevhen Chernyak. Later, the enterprises were transferred to the Traditions of Success Group of Companies of Alexander Bespalov. But the state claims now that the deal was formal in nature and the assets remained under Chernyak's control. The Ukrainian businessman himself denied that he owned any enterprises in ruZZia.

According to one of the interlocutors of Vedomosti, the cessation of vodka production is directly related to the criminal prosecution of Bespalov, who is suspected of giving a bribe when buying the ruZZian assets of Global Spirits. Another interlocutor recalled that the Traditions of Success group "is in the process of being transferred to the temporary management of the Federal Property Management Agency."

At the same time, one of the sources claimed that Horta is now "in small volumes" produced by the enterprises of another company, but he did not disclose which one.

On May 15, the Prosecutor General's Office demanded the nationalization of the former assets of the Global Spirits holding on the basis that the founder of the company is a major sponsor of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU). The day before, the Leninsky District Court of Kursk arrested the assets of Russky Sever, Rodnik and K, as well as seven more legal entities at the request of the prosecutor's office.

Prior to that, a criminal case was opened against the founder of Global Spirits for financing terrorism.

According to state-controlled Kommersant, before the start of the war in Ukraine, Khortytsa was the leader of the Z-vodka market and market sources attributed the popularity of Global Spirits brands to the relatively low price.