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(From The Moscow Times)
Dmitry leaned over his infant son to clink beer bottles with his friend Sasha on Saturday night and proposed a short toast in celebration of the Old New Year.
Sasha cocked his head and shouted, "Huh?" as the roar of the metro drowned out the sentiment.
The two men, both in their 40s, laughed and took a swig of their bottles while riding a Circle Line train. It's a familiar sight on the metro, where on most Friday or Saturday nights the average passenger is unable to avoid the sight of dozens of empty beer bottles lying forsaken on the floor of the system's cars.
But a federal law that was approved by President Vladimir Putin last month and came into force Jan. 8 imposes steep fines on drinking beer in many public places, including public transportation, parks, hospitals and sporting arenas.
Drinking was already forbidden in many of these places, including the metro, but increased fines of up to 300 rubles ($10) aim to stamp out the behavior. Consumption of hard liquor in public had already been banned.
"Crowds of people gather in the metro. It's not safe to allow drinking there, and moreover, it's a question of morals," said an adviser to the State Duma's Economy, Entrepreneurship and Tourism Committee, members of which authored the law.