A Ukrainian’s Snus Advantage
Ingvar, a Ukrainian soldier and former snus maker, has found the tobacco harm reduction product is an unexpected weapon in the fight against Russian forces
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by Dave Cross
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Ingvar, a Ukrainian soldier and former snus maker, has found an unexpected weapon in the fight against Russian forces. On the battlefield, where cigarettes light up the night and reveal soldiers' positions, snus is an option that gives Ukrainian snipers an advantage. Russian soldiers smoke strong-smelling and glowing cigarettes, bound by Putin's ban on snus and tobacco-free nicotine pouches in Russia. Ingvar, who before the outbreak of war owned and operated a small Ukrainian snus factory, knows that snus is not revealed in the dark, giving Ukrainian forces an advantage of surprise.
Ingvar loves Sweden and its culture and traditions, including snus, crayfish, Midsummer celebrations and surströmming (fermented herring). When the war broke out in February 2022, Ingvar had to close his snus factory to defend his country as a volunteer soldier. But Ingvar is not just a Ukrainian snus maker and soldier standing up to Putin's aggression. He is also an active member of EUforsnus, a global non-profit consumer movement with snus using members from over 100 countries who fight to legalize snus in the EU and other countries where it is currently banned.
Ingvar has shared his experiences from the war with his Swedish snus friend Bengt Wiberg, one of the two founders of EUforsnus. Just like Ingvar, Bengt is an innovator and small business owner in the snus and nicotine pouch industry.
Bengt says: “Ingvar is my bravest friend! In the midst of the hell of war, he also stands up for public health in a world that unfortunately still has one billion daily smokers.”
Bengt has received pictures, videos and ongoing communication from Ingvar that show the horrors of war but also Ingvar's courage, hope and humanity. Ingvar and his comrades have rescued many bomb-shocked pets that were deprived of their owners, which they have given to animal lovers and pet shelters along the front line. Ingvar has also testified about how many Ukrainian women fight side by side with the men, even as snipers, something that Ingvar thinks the media has failed to mention.
The shepherd faithfully followed Ingvar's platoon until they found a safe animal shelter for the bomb-shocked dog.
Ingvar and Bengt continue to keep in regular contact despite the horrific war. Ingvar hopes that a free Ukraine will one day become a member of both the EU and NATO. He also dreams of returning to his family and his snus factory in Kyiv and continue to produce high-quality snus with Swedish inspiration.
Ingvar is a Ukrainian hero who deserves our respect and appreciation. He is also a role model for anyone who wants to make a difference to public health by promoting snus and other significantly less harmful nicotine alternatives to deadly smoking.
During United Nations Week in September 2023 in New York City, a video recorded by Ingvar was shown at a big event with an international focus on tobacco harm reduction presented by Dr. Derek Yach, the former President of the non-profit organization Foundation for a Smoke Free World and former advisor for the Secretary-General of the World Health Organization (WHO). In the video, Ingvar talks about the war and how snus has helped people also in Ukraine to quit smoking and how it can be a way to reduce smoking-related harm from tobacco for millions of people.
Photo Credit:
Images by Ingvar
Dave Cross
Journalist at POTVDave is a freelance writer; with articles on music, motorbikes, football, pop-science, vaping and tobacco harm reduction in Sounds, Melody Maker, UBG, AWoL, Bike, When Saturday Comes, Vape News Magazine, and syndicated across the Johnston Press group. He was published in an anthology of “Greatest Football Writing”, but still believes this was a mistake. Dave contributes sketches to comedy shows and used to co-host a radio sketch show. He’s worked with numerous start-ups to develop content for their websites.
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