We investigate using numerical simulations the domain of applicability of the hydrodynamic description of classical fluids at and near equilibrium. We find this to be independent of the degree of many-body correlations in the system; the range r_c of
the microscopic interactions completely determines the maximum wavenumber k_{max} at which the hydrodynamic description is applicable by k_{max}r_c ~ 0.43. For the important special case of the Coulomb potential of infinite range, we show that the ordinary hydrodynamic description is never valid.