 By early 1859, the protests had spread to the Orthodox population of the Empire, including much of European Russia, where more and more peasants took oaths of abstention from vodka.In total, there were reports of the boycott actions from 91 uyezds in 32 governorates.The newspaper "Kolokol" promoted the cause, denouncing the vodka tax farming system that promoted alcohol addiction and poverty among the population in return for tax revenues.