Where to run from the war: all about choosing a city to move

War is not an experience that someone needs and that everyone can endure without consequences. Therefore, it is quite normal if, in the event of hostilities, you decide to send your family or go away together. We will not consider emigration and talk about options when you are limited by the territory of your country.

Perhaps someone is planning to buy a house or an apartment in a small town right now and is preparing to build a family nest. The situation is especially relevant for specialists who are not tied to a specific place of work. Be sure to read this material.

I have repeatedly talked with people who lost their homes during the hostilities. Both expensive elite houses and ordinary apartments, which were bought with money accumulated all their lives. Sometimes a month before the first shelling, so that the family literally slept on the floor. But then in his own, not a rented apartment. True, only a month. Then a checkpoint or military equipment was located nearby, and the new long-awaited housing turned into ruins.

This is a monstrous stress that can break anyone - to lose everything in adulthood, to understand that with a probability of 99% your corner will never be there and under any circumstances. And that this mistake was made yesterday.

In the tips below, I assume that in the event of war, the front line can go anywhere and in any direction. Choosing a suitable city, you must remember that the war can reach there too, so it is important to choose the right place to live in the city itself.

Ideally, you need to choose 5-10 cities in different parts of the country, so that in case of a bad development of events (I sincerely wish that none of these and my other recommendations are useful to any of the readers), you can quickly move family and things to the desired city. Often, within 2-4 weeks after the start of the fighting, it becomes impossible to transport large loads without bribes.

Match your choice of housing to the basic rules below.

Distrust of Internet rumors

Only very high ranks in uniform know how, when and where the front line will move. The rest, especially bloggers with an active life, political and ideological position, with insiders and “trusted sources,” are just mouthpieces. Often, their predictions are far from reality, erroneous, and they cannot be taken into account categorically.

Trust your eyes, ears and information from people in specific locations.

City forming enterprise

The presence of even a small factory is a guarantee that the city will not die with the outbreak of war. Business in contact with the state is an incredibly tenacious entity, capable of repairing broken power lines, water mains, roofs, and even paying taxes day after day.

As long as there is a working enterprise inside the city, everything else will work, including schools, kindergartens, shops and providers. The stronger and larger the enterprise, the better.

Avoid cities with factories for the production of military equipment, weapons and ammunition. They can be the main and first targets.

Major train station, highway junction

In fact, albeit a bad one, it is a substitute for an enterprise. The presence of a large plant does not necessarily mean that there is a living plant, but there is the potential to defrost old, already closed factories in the city.

Living by the movement of trains and cars. In the future (if the usual ties between regions begin to break down) - the creation of logistics centers for the transportation of goods. All this is jobs, money, and therefore life. Naturally, such key cities are in the area of special attention, as they are used for the movement of equipment and the military, but that is why the front line will be pushed away from them even in the event of an aggravation.

Proximity to main water, gas and power lines

The further the city is from the main communications, the higher the likelihood that in the event of accidents and damage after shelling, no one will restore anything for months.

Believe me, it's only good for downshifters in summer to live without water, electricity, gas and communications.

In reality, when on the ninth floor there is nothing to flush the toilet, wash the dishes and do the laundry, this causes a lot of inconvenience. Cooking food with a taste of smoke will take many times more time and will not even be close to the experience of a peaceful campfire porridge on a fire.

I don't even want to talk about subzero temperatures. Living without warmth is one of the most terrible ordeals for a person.

Usually social services have on hand lists of elderly, non-walking and seriously ill people. But a person can get sick, break a leg or lose strength on the eve of heavy shelling, after which lines of people with bags, cars and buses will be pulled out of the city. Like in old war movies. The streets will be littered with broken glass, bricks, shards and branches. A typical high-rise building can accommodate 3-4 people. If you're lucky, all or almost all of the lists will be taken out. The rest will be left to die.

Lack of military bases and units

Authors of post-apocalyptic works are very fond of making such places the focus of power and order in a world of chaos and zombies. In our case, this is a point of permanent instability or a reason to be in the epicenter of hostilities. Even a small radar base is a serious disadvantage and a reason to choose an alternative option.

Developed infrastructure

If the city does not have a hospital, a supermarket, dead roads and, in general, everything is bad, with the beginning of the war it will get even worse.

There is no need to choose completely abandoned and dead towns, where there are only old people and one grocery store, and from entertainment - moonshine and fishing.

These are potential dead. If anything happens, they will wait for real help for years.

Take a close look at how comfortable the city is for life. A school, a kindergarten, a chain supermarket or good local outlets, pharmacies, a hospital with doctors and equipment, a dental office, a maternity hospital, bank branches, a full-fledged police station, an ambulance, a fire station and the presence of our own utilities are just a basic minimum.

With the beginning of the war, nothing new is being built globally, only being repaired. And if there is no hospital in the city, you will have to travel to the neighboring one, which is extremely burdensome in the presence of small children. There is no pharmacy or bank - the same thing: get in the car, bus or bike, and go.

River or reservoir

Like everyone else, you will almost certainly have difficulty with money. They will not be enough either for long trips or for the rest itself. Therefore, it is extremely beneficial for health and nerves to have a good reservoir nearby so that you can swim or fish in summer. Now, when you are not limited in money and movement, this does not seem to be particularly important, but in conditions of tough money saving, the possibility of a normal rest near your home adds a fat plus to the city.

Relatives or friends

Yes, war makes people to a certain extent more honest, open and willing to help. But not all of them. Having relatives or good friends who can help you in difficult situations, get a job or simply invite you to dinner is very expensive in a foreign city.

General points

Do not select cities near the border. All of them are at risk.
The presence of a private sector is a serious plus. Having autonomous heating (coal-fired boilers, wood-fired boilers or a banal stove), you are guaranteed to spend the winter even in the absence of electricity and gas. And in general, the closer to the ground, the easier it is to survive.
When choosing a house or apartment, avoid the outskirts. No matter how picturesque they are, in the event of hostilities, they will be the first and most affected.
The presence of a well or a well in the yard is a huge plus.
Learn about typical problems: water supply by the hour, power outages, power surges, floods, mudflows, and more. With the outbreak of war, they will get worse.
Consider the presence of nearby chemical or radioactive waste disposal sites and other objects that, if not properly monitored, can lead to serious problems.
Do not take houses and apartments at road junctions. In such places, checkpoints are usually set up, after which all housing around turns into ruins.
Do not take houses and apartments with unconnected communications and serious imperfections. You don’t know when it’s going to start. And if it flares up somewhere nearby, all your agreements, sealed with signatures, seals and the strongest assurances, will be ignored.
Bad immediate neighborhood - kindergartens, schools, vocational schools, warehouses. In such places, military and equipment are often deployed. This means that all houses around are guaranteed to come under fire.
Don't buy a house on a sparsely populated street. After the outbreak of hostilities, people will begin to leave en masse and so on. And empty houses and apartments will be ruthlessly and systematically robbed.

War is very scary. It is useless to talk about it, it is useless to show it. You can only understand what it is after experiencing. It is no less scary to become a refugee. Very often, the loss of housing or moving to nowhere breaks people more and faster than shelling. Destroys families, makes enemies of relatives and kills the interest in life in people. Try to listen to yourself and make the right decision when necessary.