After the murder of a Ukrainian woman in the United States: what you need to know about personal safety

I was shocked by the murder of Ukrainian girl Iryna Zarutska in the United States. I express my sincere condolences to the family and friends of Irina.

We can talk about the general causes of what happened, about the failed policy of tolerance, but we cannot always influence such things.

But what we can and should influence is our behavior in places of possible threat, which could give us a better chance of survival both for ourselves and for others.

The world has become global, the world's population is growing, and therefore the percentage of people is growing, and most of them remain at the level of development "before antiquity." And this means that the probability of facing a threat is increasing, just purely statistically.

We cannot avoid society, because everyone uses public transportation, attends public events, and visits crowded places, such as queues, cafes, concerts, service locations, etc .

However, it is worth understanding some of the rules. Let's look at a specific case that happened to a girl.

Once again, my sincere condolences to the family, Iryna is not to blame for anything, she was not obliged to know any safety rules, unfortunately, this is not taught in schools and at the training centers of the national resistance.

But there are rules:

1. If you enter an unfamiliar place, vehicle, building – it doesn't matter, you must look around. You have to understand the circumstances, the presence of people, the presence of possible dangers, such as people, animals, foreign objects, etc. that could endanger you.

This does not mean that you have to run around and look at everything, no. Just take a look around where you're going, even if it's a familiar cafe or tram. You will immediately see or feel possible threats, whether it's a group of drunk people, a dog without a muzzle, or anything else you don't want, from smoke in the room to an unpleasant unusual smell..

2. Don't be hypnotized when you enter a strange room. Most of us today walk around concentrating on our thoughts or feelings, or listening to music in headphones or a podcast or on the phone, and this does not allow us to be here and now.

This does not mean that you have to be on your toes all the time, just wear one earphone if you are listening to music so that the other ear can hear outside sounds, and when you enter a closed area where you cannot easily escape, take your eyes off your phone or your own thoughts and look at the situation around you, do not abstract.

3. Never sit with your back to a person who poses a threat to you. If you are in an enclosed space, try to take a seat where your back is protected and the circumstances make it impossible to approach from behind. Of course, if there is no one behind you, or the person is not a threat, you should sit down or stand up so as not to disturb people, but still, your safety and space should be a priority.

4. It's not you who can get hurt, but other people. The woman who was sitting with Irina was frozen, and many people accused her of not helping. In fact, it is difficult for a person who has not been trained to do so to react in any way. There are four strategies for human behavior in extreme situations. 1. Run away. 2. Freeze. 3. Fight. the 4th distinguishes us from animals. Do what you learned in training.

5. All civilians should be trained in first aid, self-defense, including with weapons, behavior in situations of terrorist attacks, man-made and natural disasters, war, including nuclear war, basics of behavior in case of mine danger, terrain orientation, cybersecurity and information hygiene.

There are offline courses and videos on all of these issues (by the way, none of them are seriously state-funded).

The question is your desire and the social culture around you.

It seems to me that the Soviet practice of civil defense was not so wrong after all.

And again. My condolences to the family and friends of Ms. Irina. Only this scoundrel is to blame for her death, and he deserves the harshest punishment.

We have to do everything we can to make sure that such cases are fewer and that our loved ones are safe or able to help themselves or random strangers on their own.

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