MOSCOW, March 24. /TASS/. Russia's Ministry of Finance sees no prerequisites for an increase in prices for alcoholic beverages in Russia until the end of 2021, according to the statement posted on the ministry's website on Wednesday.

"There are no preconditions for an increase in alcohol prices until the end of the year," the statement said. In the near future, the Ministry of Finance does not plan new measures as part of the excise policy on alcohol and the establishment of minimum retail prices.

The ministry recalled that the rates of excise duty on alcohol and minimum retail prices are indexed annually to the inflation rate. Earlier, the Izvestia newspaper reported, citing expert opinion, that in 2021 alcohol prices could rise in the range from 4% to 15%. Experts did not rule out a rise in prices for both domestic alcoholic beverages and imported alcohol.