‘If Tomorrow There is a War’ – Some Useful Advice for Ordinary Russians

Paul Goble

            Staunton, March 4 – Military rhetoric has become so pervasive in Russia that Moscow’s Novyye izvestiya decided to republish some advice for ordinary Russians from the “Black Sun” Telegram channel on how those who today “so joyfully listen to the militarist speeches of the authorities” should act “if tomorrow there is a war.”

            (The “Black Sun” original which contains advice developed on the basis of experience in the wars in Chechnya and the former Yugoslavia appeared at /telegra.ph/Nachalas-vojna-chto-delat-02-19; the Novyye izvestiya repeat at /newizv.ru/article/general/04-03-2018/esli-zavtra-voyna-poleznye-sovety-obyvatelyu.)

            Among Black Sun’s observations, many of which are certain to frighten Russians and lead them to take actions the authorities may not be pleased about, are:

There is a widespread myth that in our days, it is possible to follow a war on television. In fact, wherever wars begin, there is never any television … It appears when everything is already over in order to show mass burials or what is burning or exploding. Real war is much more horrible than the imagination of those of us who haven’t been in one.

If a war begins, you should as quickly as circumstances permit get out of the city. Already on the first day of military operations there won’t be electricity, water, gas, heat, mobile telephone networks, or wife – in short nothing which supports urban life.

Immediately the problem of survival begins. Do you have several days of food in your home? You’ll need them: stores and gas stations will cease to work already on the first day, approximately when stealing from them begins.  If you go to a store, it is best to go with friends – you will be able to carry away more goods and there will be a chance you won’t have them taken away from you on the way home.

In the first days of the war, society by inertia will preserve some of the sitns of culture, and banditry and a sense that everything is permissible will still not be widespread, although this will quickly happen and therefore you need guns … the person with a gun is always right … You need a gund otherwise very soon you won’t have food or drinking water or warm clothes or anthing that will help you survive.

I have friends who have an entire arsenal at home with which they can fight for a year or a year and a half … Those who have a battery-operated radio are in a much better situation than those who don’t.

It is difficult to survive in a city … [but] if you set off on the road to leave, you must understand army psychology.  The most important thing is to show in every possible way that you are a civilian.  If you for some reason don camouflage, dress like Rambo and go into the street … you are already dead.

Don’t in any case approach a soldier even if he appears friendly or supplies at you. Go away as quickly as possible … Army units in a city often very poorly understand what is taking place and where their opponents are. Almost always in such a moment, they shoot even at their own, and they always shoot at incautious civilians. [But] remember while you are in a city, tehre is the chance to steal fuel.

 Once you are beyond the city, [your chances improve if you have a dacha or your family or friends do]. Then the chief task is to defend your home from bandits who will want to take verything from you.  It isn’t hard to defend oneself against one or two bandits but to fight off ten or more is.

Again, guns are very much need, but if there aren’t any, remember the Middle Ages and you will have varioius options [including throwing gas on the bandits and then lighting it]. Armies most likely won’t be interested in your country home so that the chances to survive active military moves are greater and then you can look around and figure out what to do next.

[But] now the very most important thing: if in peacetime, you make even the most elementary preparations for the black day, and this will help a great deal if such a day comes … Think about your routes and methods of evacuation … keep your car filled with gas … have a backpack filled with everything necessary … and acquire a gun.

War is blood and dirt … much worse than described here. Let us home that the idiot politicians, extremists and degenerates of all sorts will never lead us into it.

Black Sun is with you. Take care of yourselves.