A nightmare scenario from the Cold War finally unfolds. Year 2017. Russia invades the United States, decimating cities, seizing soft targets and critical infrastructure. Think you’re safe out in the countryside? Not if you live near one of these “10 soft targets of strategic importance” that may be crucial to a Russian take-over.
What if Russia has it’s eyes on America?
Fears of A Russian Invasion
Fears have long abounded in certain U.S. circles dating back to the Cold War of ominous threats coming from the U.S.S.R., and some of those circles include the Pentagon, more familiar with extensive KGB spying in the U.S. than the average American who probably thinks that the spy-threat is only a real threat in a James Bond movie.
Yet KGB spies were here during the Cold War. After the Soviet Union fell in the early 90s, probably a number of these spies remained, even if they’re no longer thought of as “KGB”.Today we can bet that Russia has a healthy and vital network of spies in the United States, including more than a few “double agents” — meaning U.S. citizens who work in federal government like CIA and national defense who, like many Americans, can be persuaded to pass on intel when enough dollar bills are offered.
A Russian Invasion
Only after knocking out U.S. defenses and critical infrastructure, could a Russian plan to invade and occupy parts of America unfold with the potential for success. Of course to take things to that level Russia would have to be willing to do a few things that would put them on par with Hitler.We’re talking Russia would have to be willing to nuke a few million Americans preemptively (Cold War suitcase nukes, anyone?), or perhaps use a highly lethal virus concocted deep in a Russian laboratory, and then spread across U.S. cities like a plot from the television series “24” — or perhaps a combination of both suitcase nukes and lethal virus.
Is Putin on the same level as “Hitler”?
We can’t quite tell yet. He’s invaded two countries to date, the first being Georgia in 2008, and the second and most recent, the Ukraine, currently making world headlines.
Commercial Airlines
The plot from the original Red Dawn (1984) was that Russian forces invade the U.S. using commercial airlines on international routes to disguise the first wave of the invasion — a modern day Trojan horse.Could commercial airlines really be used to help get a Russian first wave into American airspace and parachuting into American communities?
Maybe.
Then of course there are container ships — the U.S. has dozens of cargo ships entering U.S. ports every day of the year. Just one cargo ship can carry troops, house missile systems, and possibly even be outfitted to offer Russian fighter jets a place to take off from and return to land and refuel. Essentially, an aircraft carrier and battleship disguised to look like a cargo ship.
How many of these could the Russians move into place, just off shore or even land and then launch attacks from U.S. ports?
Ace in Russia’s Sleeve
Russia we can bet would have it’s “ace in the sleeve” — meaning, one or more clever ways that they could get people here, and weapons, that the Pentagon may not quite see coming yet, or have a scenario for.That ace may be “American based” manufacturing plants, where instead of just cars or airplanes being built, maybe weapons and weapon delivery systems are being built right here on U.S. soil, in industrial areas of major U.S. cities, with access to trucking fleets, helicopters, and heavy equipment that can be used to lay siege to several “soft targets” essential to putting America into a strangle hold and forcing a surrender.
In those U.S. based Russian manufacturing plants… how about Russian drones and — right on the forefront of science and technology — Russian robots?
In World War II, against Japan, America’s secret “ace” was the first working atomic bombs, shortly later dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, bringing Japan to a quick surrender. Japan at first didn’t know what hit them.
Looking at Japan, history has seen the ace card played before with disastrous consequences.
Does Russia have an “ace” card?
Surviving a Russian occupation
Small town airports seized. FEMA camps and U.S. prisons turned into Russian concentration camps for U.S. citizens. Maybe we should have feared those “FEMA camps” after all. However, instead of an American flag flying overhead in those FEMA Camps, in this case it’s a Russian flag.On day one of the attack, Russian suitcase nukes detonated in dozens of strategic places, including just outside several U.S. military bases; U.S. military bases wiped completely off the map — one more ace up the Russian military’s sleeve.
Localized EMP attacks that shut down power systems to critical infrastructure.
Russian forces come to power in your community. And now you have to swear allegiance or face execution.
Or there’s one more option to consider…
American resistance to foreign invaders
So, we’ve laid out a scenario how a Russian occupation could take place, and how a Russian leader like Vladmir Putin could turn into history’s next Hitler, or maybe the long awaited “Anti-Christ” from the Book of Revelation (for our Christian readers out there counting down the days to the return of Christ — yes I hear you).
Whatever happens, will you live or die if a scenario like this one ever plays out?
Would you have a plan if something so far fetched as a Russian invasion ever brings parachuting troops into your community?
Do you have a back-up plan for the day you have to abandon your preps and make a hasty evacuation into the countryside, like World War II Jews fleeing Nazis as tanks and troops roll into town?
How the Jews survived
A lot of Jews died in Nazi concentration camps. Many though were able to escape, sometimes on “underground railroads”, and other times by being hidden by “law abiding” non-Jews (sometimes in secret rooms hidden in average-looking homes) until these Jews could sneak out of the area, often under the cover of darkness.
Tips for Surviving a Russian Invasion
One way to prep for a possible invasion is to outfit your home with a secret room, placed in such a way that even if someone were to look for a “secret room”, they wouldn’t find yours.Outfit your secret room with ventilation, food, water, power, and communications equipment, so that if you and your family suddenly had to hide out, you could stay hidden for several hours, and then make your escape finally under the cover of darkness.
Where do you go?
Your community may be under Russian control, and the same thing may be said about any community down the highway you may have the impulse to flee toward. Control that impulse and realize you should probably take to the countryside and forests, and get away from cities and towns, and instead travel by trail, staying close to cover (like tall trees overhead).If there’s no cover, put together something that will help camouflage you from the air above, where helicopters maybe patrolling, looking out for people down on the ground below fleeing the area.
That could be something as simple as a small tarp and a 2 – 3 cans of spray paint, with colors that look like the colors of the area you’re likely to travel through. For example, a desert environment, typical in Southern California, Utah, Arizona, and Nevada. If you hear chopper blades in the distance, drop to the ground next to a rock or ditch or whatever object happens to be nearby, and use your painted tarp to disguise yourself from eyes in the sky.
Escape through forests
As much as possible though, plot a route that is going to take you through the trees. A large number of Jews made their escape through European forests (sometimes getting help from sympathetic locals along the way, but always having to be wary that one of these sympathetic locals would turn them over to the Nazis).Use the forests because you need to have cover, and you also want to be in an area no one is likely to parachute troops into, if you happen to be fleeing an area under a wide scale attack. Remember, parachuting troops need a clearing to land.
Staying deep under the trees both blocks you from eyes in the sky, and keeps troops from landing near your location should you (or any number of people you’re traveling with) be spotted. I can’t recommend it enough, but a handy water filter will provide you with several weeks of water filtration from streams and lakes you’ll come across as you travel).
Dirt roads
On your maps look for gravel roads and dirt roads — these are secondary road systems typical in wilderness areas of the U.S. that are not likely to see invaders in the early days or weeks of an invasion. Most of an invaders’ attention (and somewhat limited resources) will be focused on populated areas and securing major roads, before in time moving on to less populated areas and lesser used roads.Consider heading for areas that have small farming operations — not wide scale agriculture because again these may be targeted by an invasion force — and / or small towns in or near the mountains that don’t have an airport. Airports make it easy to fly in troops, and we can bet that the Russians have every airport and even many smaller airstrips marked down on maps. A rural airstrip’s proximity to a crucial “soft target” (keep reading) makes it more likely to be targeted in the early days (or even the first day) of a wide scale invasion.
Don’t enter town from the main road
Don’t enter town from the main road. Hard-pressed locals may not be too kind to new comers fleeing cities. Instead, one strategy may be to circle around town and come in from the far side and attempt to connect with a local family first. If that local family feels sympathetic for you, their friendship can be a doorway to being accepted by the local population and not just another mouth to feed. Now some towns may be welcoming to survivors fleeing cities. Survey any town you hope to enter from a distance (you’ll want a good set of binoculars) before entering town. Who knows what you might be walking into. Better safe than sorry. What if that town is all Russian military?
Bug Out Bag
Of course, if you’ve been following news in the prepper and survivalist community, you already know to have a Bug Out Bag packed with several days of food (consider bulk MRES for survival food rations if there’s a chance you’ll need to share some food with others) and a water filter system for procuring clean drinking water along the way (see link a few paragraphs up), as well as maps, weapon(s) for self defense, and everything else (even fish antibiotics) that make a great survival pack for surviving a time of war (no guarantees on those fish antibiotics but it seems that they can work for some).Most likely, if you’ve made it to the forest far away from a populated area, don’t expect a pursuit from invading forces. Not yet anyway. They’re going to be busy seizing communities, and then going house to house.
Only as the days and weeks pass, are invading forces finally likely to make it out to distant rural towns and homes out in the countryside. That is of course except for towns and communities that lie in the path of prevailing winds that may carry dangerous levels of radiation from any major cities or military installations that have suffered a nuclear blast.
One way to add a layer of protection includes potassium iodate tablets, which can help protect you from the effects of radiation. (The U.S. government is reported by some to be stockpiling on these tablets.)
10 Rural areas of strategic importance to the Russians
That is unless you live in an area of strategic importance. What is an area of strategic importance? How about:1) Oil refineries and oil wells
2) Natural gas plants
3) Gas refineries
4) Airports (even small ones)
5) Mining operations
6) Nuclear power plants and hydroelectric dams
7) Media outlets (newspaper, radio, television)
8) Industry (aerospace, metals, etc)
9) Manufacturing
10) Commercial agriculture (not all agricultural areas, just those considered essential to feeding Russian forces while also helping win over a conquered population by providing citizens with basic food needs)
Just about anything that keeps America powered and fed is likely to be a soft target, and not necessarily something that an invading force may want to simply destroy. Depending on how thorough their plans are for occupation, they may want to get these systems back online shortly after any have powered down, or even before one of these systems has powered down. (These 10 areas may not include all areas of importance to Russian invaders, but are some common areas to consider avoiding in your evacuation plans.)
What does this mean?
That even if you live miles away from a populated area, you may still be in danger early on in an invasion simply due to your proximity to a soft target.And if you’re considered essential personnel employed at one of these soft targets, there’s a chance that invading forces already know a lot about you — your name, where you live, and — a scary thing to consider — perhaps they even have your family named and numbered and on a list.
Your family held hostage
You see, if day one of a Russian invasion includes going after several soft targets, a great way to keep personnel running these systems would be to take their families hostage, or simply lay siege to each soft target in question.Russia (and its allies) have had a long time to put some thought into something like this.
If it ever happens, its because they believe its going to succeed.