Kremlin sharply increases price of gasoline, vodka

Gasoline will double in price and the cost of vodka will increase by nearly 20 percent in a package of price changes to be announced by the Soviet government this week, informed sources reported.

The price of a liter of gasoline will rise from 20 kopecks (27 cents) to 40 kopecks (53 cents, equivalent to $2 a US gallon) and the cost of vodka will rise by 18 percent, taking the average price of a half-liter bottle to over six rubles ($8.10).

The price package was preceded by widespread rumors of imminent rises on a wide range of goods, including basic foods such as bread.