Over the centuries, religion and vodka have played a major part in Russian life. Now President Yeltsin, something of a stranger to the former but apparently quite acquainted with the latter, is attempting to legislate for both.
His bill on religion, released on Thursday by the State Duma, promises to be even more draconian on "non-traditional" faiths than a previous one which had been attacked strongly by the US and the Vatican.
And yesterday Mr Yeltsin launched a campaign to crush the producers of samogon, the Russian version of poteen, which is costing the Russian government millions of dollars in lost revenue each year.
In a radio address to the Russian people yesterday, Mr Yeltsin said that illegal distilling of cheap vodka was the second most enriching criminal activity in Russia after the really big activities of criminal financiers.
Russia's government has taken some dramatic measures to ensure that it gets the necessary revenue from imbibers in a country where heavy drinking has been the historical norm. It is also currently involved in a frontier war against smugglers who are attempting to bring large quantities of spirits into Russia from Georgia.
Mr Yeltsin said he was firmly resolved to "turn off the tap for illegal liquor", saying that "in the past we, unfortunately, allowed this sector free rein".
The Orthodox Church, incidentally, has enjoyed tax-free status as an importer of alcohol and tobacco as a form of repayment for the persecutions it suffered in the communist era. More recently it has supported legal initiatives to circumscribe the activities of other religious groups in Russia.
Under the Religion Bill, as amended by Mr Yeltsin, non-traditional religions would not be allowed to run schools, hold services or hand out literature. Their priests and ministers would be subject to compulsory military service.
