Remember it yourself and show it to your loved ones.
Today (April 18, 2026 – Ed.) a mass shooting took place in Kyiv. A 58-year-old man opened fire with a machine gun. 6 people died, more than 10 were injured, including a child. The attacker was neutralized by special forces.
I will not delve into the personality of the shooter and his motives. Something else is more important. Such incidents have already occurred in Ukraine. And they will happen again. It’s only a matter of time before this happens near you. And it’s not just about Ukraine – the same occurs in the USA, Europe, and other countries.
In a country where a war has been going on for 4 years, where there is a huge amount of weapons among the people, including unregistered ones, where societal stress is at its peak, such situations will recur. We must be prepared.
For more than 8 years, we have been conducting training on actions during a mass shooting – active shooter. Even before the war, I conducted large citywide drills on active shooter in schools of the Odesa region with full involvement of special forces, the National Guard, with simulation shooting in real conditions. I myself have attended such training abroad many times.
What I have seen over the years – even the most unprepared person, when they clearly know what to do, reacts radically differently. They don’t freeze, don’t panic, don’t go out to film on the phone. They take action. Because there is already an algorithm in their head.
This algorithm is simple. Three words. It works worldwide – from the USA and Israel to Europe. It has saved thousands of lives.
Remember it yourself and show it to your loved ones.
RUN. HIDE. FIGHT.
RUN. When you hear shots on the street – run. Move away from the place where the shots are heard. At the same time, call the police – 102. Where the shooting is happening, what the attacker looks like, how many there are. Unfortunately, a Ukrainian is a person who knows how to go out filming how ballistic missiles fly, or picking up drone wreckage. When shots are heard on the street, we love to go out and film on the phone. The price for this is only one – life and health. Don’t go out. Run.
HIDE. If there is no way to escape, if you are indoors, in a supermarket, at school, in a shopping center – barricade yourself. Enter any room, close the door, barricade it as much as possible. Do not stand behind the doors – stand to the side, left or right. If the attacker shoots through the door, you won’t be hit. Open only when you hear many police voices. The attacker will not break one door, their task is to cause maximum harm, they will move on. Your task is to buy time.
FIGHT. The last resort. Only if there is no way to escape and hide – defend your life with any available means. Use moments when the shooter is reloading. History knows many cases when victims literally waited for their turn while the attacker reloaded and continued killing. These seconds are your chance. Act as harshly as possible. Inflict maximum damage.
The main thing is speed of reaction. Those who reacted quickly saved lives for themselves, their loved ones, and those around them.
We have prepared a clear algorithm of actions for you on a poster. Spend 2 minutes – save it on your phone, zoom in, read carefully. Show it to your loved ones, family, and dear ones.
Explain: you cannot go out to the shooting. You must run. Hide. And only as a last resort – fight.
This is knowledge that will save lives. Share it.
DO > TALK.
