Ref Ukraine

[Tarrel]

Quote:Well the UK is not going to put boots on the ground
but it seems we\ve lost the bottle for trade sanctions.

Will our politicians NEVER learn to carry documents in a briefcase??

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Quote:Again folks I refer you to the point in question, As preppers what can you do to minimise any effects the Baltic crisis may have on you. What the Ruskies, Ukranians, EU, Brits and Merkins do we have no control over.

Well, let's play out a couple of scenarios:

1. Russia DOES play hardball, and cuts off gas supply to the EU, causing a fall-off in input to the UK. This happens at a time when weather is settling and amount of power generated by wind is reducing. This could have an impact on our power generation, leading to intermittent or rota power cuts. Even if this doesn't happen now, it could happen as early as the Autumn, once the weather gets cold.

Prepping response:
- Consider installing / procuring alternative heating options (wood burner, calor heater with ample stocks of gas)
- Ditto cooking (flat-topped woodburner, camping stove, Trangia with meths)
- Build a simple battery backup system; 1-2 leisure batteries, battery charger and inverter. Will keep essentials running (e.g. fridge)
- (Goes without saying) Candles, matches, oil lamps. Cheap and easy to get (for now)

2. The stresses of the current uncertainties are the "straw that broke the camel's back", leading to Financial Crash 2.0. European banks with high exposure to Ukrainian debt feel the strain. Worries lead to capital withdrawal, which could escalate to full-on bank-runs. Contagion spills over to UK banks, leading to restrictions on asset-withdrawals, temporary bank-closures and other pre-emptive measures to prevent disorderly bank collapse. Worst case scenario; credit system collapses, leading to freezing-up of supply chains and empty supermarket shelves.

Prepping response:
- Keep cash on hand (as much as you can afford)
- Spread bank savings across several banks
- Bolster food stocks
- Keep car full of fuel (so don't have to spend precious cash on fuel when debit cards aren't working)

3. NATO backs up its rhetoric with a military response in support of Western Ukraine. (Probably best not go there!)

All in all, the well-prepped prepper should already be ready for many of the outcomes that this crisis could generate.

I think what this crisis has probably already done is to suppress the fledgling recoveries that are being seen in many parts of Europe. Just look at the stock markets today. So one could be well-advised to remember the "hidden" form of prepping, i.e. reducing debt, reducing consumption, reducing the income-level you have to rely on, becoming more self-sufficient so that economic shocks have less impact on one's ability to provide basic needs. All this gives more options should a geopolitical shock lead to an economic one, which leads to a job-loss, etc.