A doomsday prepper has revealed what she would do if Vladimir Putin does the unthinkable and triggers World War III by dropping a nuclear bomb on the west.
Days ago more than 60 per cent of Mirror readers said they believe the Russian president is capable of unleashing a nuclear attack on the West.
And with good reason, considering the despot himself has made veiled threats about unprecedented "consequences" of European or US involvement in his illegal war in Ukraine.
Opposition politicians within Russia itself have also warned Putin is "crazy enough" to push the button and could "destroy the world".
For survival expert Yara Ghrewati, 39, a London-based Bushcraft instructor, Brits wouldn't stand much of a chance if he did.
She said: “If there was a nuke we are all screwed, but don’t write that."
Speaking with MyLondon while demonstrating her skills in Frylands Wood, near Croydon, she said three people have asked her this week what to keep in a "bug out bag" (a bag packed with survival supplies).
Yara, from Hounslow, says repping is less about hoarding baked beans in a bunker and more about arming yourself with knowledge for when the “s*** hits the fan”.
Yara explains: “I would literally get in my car and bomb it west. If people want to go somewhere everyone would be scrambling at the same time, the key is to prep in advance before that happens.
"Look at the bog roll situation, people were clobbering each other over the head over some bog roll.”
When coronavirus lockdowns hit, Brits rushed to make sure they could wipe their bums and eat spaghetti.
She continues: “Can you imagine if food stopped coming in? If you empower yourself with these skills you become less dependent on others. You can take care of yourself, you don’t need to reach out for higher powers to save you, and will they?”
Yara, who admits she has a disdain for the government and technology, said: “People have forgotten how to tie knots.
“If you shut off Google Maps, can you navigate?," she asked.
She told MyLondon her mantra is: “How do you know the bomb won’t land on your shed?”
Yara wants people to become less dependent on their phones, and more comfortable using their hands.
She says she often plays out a scenario in her head in which everything she is used to or ever needs is gone in an instant.
Yara even admits she already has plans to meet friends at secret coordinates, although will not admit where. When I ask if she has ever done a dry run she says "no".
The 37-year-old depends on knowledge rather than equipment because she predicts each survival situation will be unique.
“Shelter, fire, water, and food are the top priorities,” she says. “Three weeks without food, three days without water, and three minutes without oxygen, and that’s not set in stone. I probably couldn’t last a week without food because I like to eat.”
In the event of a nuclear bomb and the radiation that accompanies it, Yara says it would be best to "plonk" yourself in a hemp field.
This method is one used by the Soviet Union following the Chernobyl disaster. Authorities sowed hemp around the site to absorb radioactive toxicity in the soil.
When asked if she worries about being attacked, Yara points out she's a woman living in London. In that respect things won't change. Still she admits she has her machete, knife, or sentimental parang she picked up on her travels. These are all tools which will allow her to create and "solve problems", and yes, defend herself.
The self-described flexitarian said she could shoot a rabbit with her bow and arrow, or her slingshot. She said in a survival situation - deer, squirrel, rabbit, wood pigeon, pheasant, and rodents, are all on the menu.
She said its best to avoid foxes and badgers because they carry rabies.
“Any vegetarians are going to have a really tough time,” she adds.
Yara picked up the bug for survivalism as a 19-year-old travelling through Indonesia.
She described her formative time with the Mentawai-Siberut tribe, and also hanging out with Papua New Guineans who informed her human tastes like bacon.
She recalled the Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571 crash which forced survivors to eat fellow passengers. Yara seems like she wouldn't hesitate if her life depended on it.
She explains, in a survival situation there are three types of people. The leaders who are self-sufficient, the followers who need guidance, and then the panicky ones who are going to kill someone or cause an accident.
She continues: “You want to get away from them. They are going to pull the lifeboat down. You can’t help everyone, it’s tough, especially in the city. You are not going to be able to grab hundreds of people. You just grab what you can, your child, one loved one, and be on your way.”
Yara imagines the preppers who worry more about buying themselves three months of tinned food will be the ones “rummaging through dustbins” while she makes her way to higher ground.
She scoffed at preppers with 'all the gear and no idea'. Instead, she focuses on indigenous knowledge.
When asked who her hero is, she says: “Ray Mears is great because he acquires the knowledge of indigenous people. When everything happens and there’s a big kaboom, who will be the people that carry on? It will be the people who live in traditional ways and are dependent on nature. The knowledge they have is huge and something we really need to tap into more."
Yara first packed the boot of her car last year after she saw the rush for supplies brought on by lockdown - it made her wary of food shortages. But, she tells me she's been prepping much longer. She started packing supplies when war broke out in Syria over 10 years ago, but really her dream "and when I will feel fully prepped" is when she has her own land.
I keep trying to bring the conversation back to the specifics of a nuclear strike, but really I think we both know it's a thankless scenario. Russia reportedly has a 7,000mph hypersonic nuke missile, with a modern warhead it would mean total annihilation in minutes. Sadly the devastation is closer to Yara’s heart than she reveals.
The next day she says: “I forgot to mention… I guess it’s valid. My family originates from Syria, though I am London born. My family out there had to evacuate Syria during the war.
"I’m tired of politicians getting away with illegal wars and creating suffering amongst the people. I believe that all war propaganda, war machines, any bombs and nuclear weapons should be illegal and not exist. They only cause destruction and death. That way people wouldn’t have to live their lives in fear and prep for the worst case scenario.”
Yara seems to feel the pain of war more than most, and so prepping for the worst is not a bad idea. Though the likelihood of a strike on London is low, it is her independence that serves as the greatest lesson for Londoners: "It’s not like you read a book and bam you get it - it’s a lifetime of knowledge."
