Cleaning-product brand Domestos has announced the winners of a competition for the worst school toilets in Russia, unleashing a wave of online criticism over the creaking condition of bathrooms across the country.
Dozens of pictures of school toilets were submitted to the British brand's marketing campaign, ranging from decrepit squat toilets from Soviet times to numerous toilets offering users little-to-no privacy.
"These are scary photos," Andrei Pivovarov, the executive director of Open Russia, a pro-democracy movement founded by Kremlin critic Mikhail Khodorkovsky, wrote on Twitter.
The competition reveals "the monstrous disrespect for children on the part of the state, which has not been renovating schools for years," he said.
Other users online condemned official corruption and waste, while some ridiculed President Vladimir Putin.
"An anti-Russian, anti-Putin action was taken by the Domestos brand. Everyone saw the disgusting state of school toilets in great Russia," popular blogger Rustem Adagamov wrote on Twitter.
"It would be necessary to figure out who is behind this action -- the CIA or the State Department?" he said, mocking Russian officials for blaming many domestic problems on the West.
There were so many toilets in horrendous condition that Domestos increased the number of winners to six, each of which will receive toilet repairs.
In comments under some of the submissions, participants complained that school toilets have not been repaired for years.
In a number of pictures there are no partitions between toilets, tiles and plaster are falling off, and the toilets have clearly not been cleaned in a very long time.
A toilet from the city of Gus-Khrustalny, in the Vladimir region, received the most votes. According to the author of the application, children take time away from school to go home to relieve themselves.
All participating schools that took part in the promotion will receive a year's supply of Domestos cleaning products.
