Gov. Wolf calls for Russian-sourced products to be pulled from PA liquor stores

As Russia’s invasion of Ukraine continued Sunday, Gov. Tom Wolf urged the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board to remove Russian-sourced products from state stores as quickly as possible.

Last week Wolf strongly condemned Russia’s attack on Ukraine.

In a letter Sunday, Wolf said Pennsylvania’s Fine Wine & Good Spirits stores have a number of products sourced from Russia, as opposed to Russian-themed products produced out of the country, that are currently stocked at stores or available by special order.

“Along with you, I have watched the unfolding events in Ukraine and the unprovoked attack by Russia on a peaceful and democratic nation with horror. I have joined with leaders across the nation and across the world in condemning these attacks and expressing support for the people of Ukraine,” Wolf wrote to the board.

He urged the PLCB to remove the items and quit selling them “as a show of solidarity and support for the people of Ukraine, and an expression of our collective revulsion with the unprovoked actions of the Russian state.”

Wolf’s request follows other governors taking similar action to remove Russian-produced and Russian-branded products.

On Saturday, Utah Gov. Spencer Cox issued an executive order to state-run liquor stores to immediately “remove all Russian-produced and Russian-branded products,” calling Russia’s “ruthless attack” on the Ukraine “an egregious violation of human rights.”

But CNN reported that while some liquor brands, specifically vodka, have Russian roots and Russian-sounding names, very few brands imported to the United States are still produced in Russia.

“Many of the top-selling vodka brands that trace their origins to Russia are now distilled in multiple countries — including the United States,” the network said, adding that less than 1% of vodka consumed in the U.S. is produced in Russia.

This story was originally published February 27, 2022 at 4:14 PM.