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To see a list of previous articles, enter “Ukraine” in the Search Box on the upper right, and you will see a list in chronological order.

To understand the broad context within which current developments in Ukraine should be considered,see

“Ukraine War, October 26, 2022: The context for analysis of current developments; The “dirty bomb” as a Russian propaganda distraction from current war crimes,” The Trenchant Observer, October 26, 2022.

Dispatches

1) James Crisp, “EU stops selling toilets to Russia as punishment for invading Ukraine; Bloc bans lavatory exports in latest attempt to neutralise Vladimir Putin ahead of the invasion’s one-year anniversary,” The Telegraph, February 16, 2023 (5:07 pm);

Analysis

James Crisp reports of a little noticed sanction on Russia in response to its invasion of Ukraine in February, 2022: A ban on the sale of toilets and related items to Russia. According to Crisp, one in five Russians does not have indoor plumbing. There are many reports of Russians looting toilets in Ukraine and sending them back home.

Crisp reports,

The export ban covers European “bidets, lavatory pans, flushing cisterns and similar sanitary ware”, according to diplomats. It was brought in last summer, but has only just been reported.

“The flushing toilet has done more for civilisation than any other single invention,” another European diplomat told The Telegraph.

“So by restricting exports, we are merely bringing Russia’s technological advancement in line with the state of its civilisation.”

Clear says the outcome of “the toilet war” is still uncertain, observing,

The “toilet war” has the potential to have particular impact on Russians because one in five does not have indoor plumbing.

The Trenchant Observer

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