Maybe keep it a fictional city, set in an Eastern European environment. You know, just so we don't risk upsetting someone. It'll also stop wiki-warriors from trying to ego-dominate people who aren't familiar with the exact details of a real life crisis. 

I think an Eastern European setting is ideal. Something in the West is just too... unbelievable, because we're as stable as a well pitched tent. <--- that's not an invite for someone to fill the OOC up with "On the contrary dear boy" responses. A Middle Eastern setting would be fine too, but it really doesn't matter. I think the struggles of civilians in civil wars are mirrored wherever the fighting is taking place.