I would say Russian drinking culture is bad (i.e., binge drinking large amounts of hard liquor in one sitting is celebrated and considered manly), not that bad drinking is Russian culture. Russia also has a very high percentage of teetotalers (I've read numbers like ~1/3 of the population), as more sensible people react against over-drinking.

There are the effects of climate and genetics. Northern European countries all drink too much - long winter brings depression. The story goes that native Siberians (who have a notable contribution to the Russian gene pool) are more susceptible to alcoholism, just as Native Americans are - though I've also seen recent studies that challenge this idea.

The biggest effect is of course social/economic crisis. From all social order breaking down in the 90s, to Soviet stagnation, to the aftereffects of war/starvation during WWII. The loss of so many men to war led to fewer male role models for generations (and drinking is very much a traditionally male thing in Russia). Alcohol is cheap joy that people seek out in joyless situations.

That said, Russian alcohol consumption has been going down steadily since the 2000s, just like crime, thanks to greater social stability. Russian drinking is now about average for Europe.