Cautions & observation of civilians caught in a civil conflict.
The war in Ukraine is a tragic event but it’s one we can all learn from. Nothing provides as much valuable information as real world situations where ordinary people are forced to deal with extraordinary events. At the end of the day, the war in Ukraine gives us plenty of examples of what works and what doesn’t, and while personal experience is important, the wise person learns from other people’s mistakes so as not to repeat them himself.
What can we learn from these civilians living in war zones?
Maybe the most obvious lesson to be learned is there’s simply no surviving against an occupation force when facing them as an individual or small group.
Houses, towns and even entire cities can eventually get surrounded and overpowered. A single house or compound represents a laughable resistance to organized armed forces, let alone ones with artillery and air support at their disposal. Once shooting at your position is no longer fun, they’ll just blow you up. It’s as simple as that.
Artillery and infantry beat survivalist hero fantasies. Every. Single. Time.
In various parts of eastern Ukraine, people are suffering the lack of water, electricity and food shortages. The lesson is, prepare to always cover the basics, food, water, shelter and medicines.
You need to store food, food requiring no refrigeration and little or no cooking. You need water, not just a water filter (which you should have as well) but actual jugs of water.
For true emergencies and survival situations, just like you can’t have too much food you can’t have too much water. Have a well, have a river, if nothing else keep an eye out for large barrels on sale and keep some full of water. Even the jugs for carrying water become valuable.
Have a good supply of medicines: ibuprofen, vomit and diarrhea medicine, liquid ibuprofen for children, bandages, diapers, formula and antibiotics. Antibiotics are the difference between life and death when you need them.
Have lanterns, flashlights and lots of batteries. Get an emergency crank radio. Get a solar charger for your phone and batteries. Have alternative means of cooking and heating. A wood burning stove may do the trick, but make sure you always keep extra wood stored for emergencies.
Maybe you’re lucky enough to still have power, if so an electric burner can be put to good use then, saving other fuels for when power goes out. Have extra fuel in storage for your vehicle, enough to make it to your potential bug out location in case you need to leave in a hurry. Have a tent and sleeping bags. These can be used not only for sleeping in tents, but also if you happen to find yourself in a refugee camp during winter or in an unfurnished flat after evacuation or if you’re staying with friends or family.
In a shelled city, underground is the only safe place to be, to some extent at least. An actual bunker would be ideal, but people try finding shelter anywhere underground. In buildings, windows and doors are covered with sandbags and people sleep in the interior room away from exterior walls and windows. Windows never survive shelling. The broken glass makes it impossible to stay warm in winter. Plastic sheeting can sometimes be used to close openings and still allow light in, but this is far from an ideal solution and he loss of heat is substantial.
Another hard lesson is don’t get involved. From a survival perspective, the best way to go about conflicts which can develop into violent clashes is to not get involved in the first place. Avoid going to protests and marches.
This is especially true in cases such as the one of Ukraine, where people are seen on one side or the other during protests and clashes, often filmed.
Something as simple as a rival remembering your face from the rallies can land you in jail or worse. In this kind of situation, it’s even neighbors, former friends and coworkers that may remember your political affiliation. They may end up mentioning your name to the new authorities and they will come after you.
Jonathan Chambers
Patriot Vigilante
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