Soviets Destroy 500 Vodka Stills

Soviet police have destroyed more than 500 illegal vodka stills during a campaign against alcohol abuse in one region of southern Russia alone, the Communist Party daily Pravda said Monday.

In a report from the agricultural district of Belgorod, Pravda said police have put the names of almost 2,500 home distillers on a blacklist and were sending known drunks away for compulsory treatment.

A nationwide clampdown on drunkenness, including raising to 21 the age at which alcohol can be bought and banning sales before 2 p.m. on working days, went into effect over the weekend.