Some Ukrainians panic, others cling to routine as Russia attacks

The missile fragment pierced the ceiling of Mikhail Shcherbakov's apartment in Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city. A Russian attack, after weeks of warnings, had hit home.

"I heard noise and woke up. I realized it sounded like artillery," Shcherbakov said. He jumped from the couch and ran to wake his mother, and something exploded behind him.

The missile left a nearby computer and teacup shrouded with dust, instant artifacts of Europe's latest crisis.

At dawn on Thursday, Ukrainians' uneasy efforts at normality were shattered. Smoke rose from cities, even well away from the country's disputed eastern border.

'The worst sunrise inmy life'

"Today I had the worst sunrise in my life," said another Kharkiv resident, who gave her name only as Sasha. She rushed to her balcony and realized the sounds that had wokenher weren't fireworks.

Farther from the border, a morning commute transformed into chaos, with lines of cars waiting at fuel stations or fleeing from the grey and drizzly capital, Kyiv. People carrying luggage took shelter in the subway, unsure of where to go.

Some panicked. Others clung to routine, with irritation.

WATCH | 'People are very nervous': freelance reporter in Kyiv:

The scene on the streets of Kyiv as attack continues

3 years ago

Duration 1:59

Freelance reporter Jessica Golloher describes what it was like on the streets of Kyiv Thursday, as the Russian attack on Ukraine continued and people fled the capital city.

"I'm not afraid. I'm going to work. The only unusual thing is that you can't find a taxi in Kyiv," one resident complained, as air raid sirens wailed.

Many seemed unsure how to react. Kyiv's main street, Khreshchatyk, rippled with anxiety as people checked their phones. Some walked their dogs or waved at friends.

"I'm not scared at the moment. Maybe I'll be scared later," resident Maxim Prudskoi said.

Routine and fear

But elsewhere in the capital, Anna Dovnya watched soldiers and police remove shrapnel from an exploded shell and was terrified.

"We have lost all faith," she said. "Until the very last moment, I didn't believe it would happen. I just pushed away these
thoughts."

In Mariupol, the Azov Sea port city that many fear will be the first major target because of its strategic importance, Associated Pressjournalists saw similar scenes that mixed routine and fear.

Some residents waited at bus stops, seemingly on their way to work, while others rushed to leave the city, which is only about 15 kilometresfrom the front line with the Donetsk People's Republic one of two separatist-held areas recognized by Russian President Vladimir Putin as independent this week in a prelude to the attack.

"I can't do anything. I'm just stuck standing here," said one Mariupol resident who gave only his first name, Maxim, after running around the city since sunrise in search of cash or a full tank of gas, in vain.

'Nowhere to run'

At a supermarket, retiree Anna Efimova worried about her mother, who she said was busy stocking her basement with supplies. "There's nowhere to run, where can we run?"

As the day progressed, alarm across Ukraine rose. People crowded at grocery stores and cash machines. In Kharkiv, worried residents inspected fragments of military hardware strewn across a children's playground.

WATCH | CBC correspondents report on what people in Ukraine and Russia are saying aboutthe invasion:

CBC News on the ground in Ukraine and Russia

3 years ago

Duration 9:17

As the Russian invasion of Ukraine begins, the CBC's Margaret Evans reports from the streets of Kyiv, while Briar Stewart details the situation in Russia from Rostov-on-Don.

Kyiv Mayor VitaliKlitschko called on the city's threemillion people to stay indoors unless they worked in critical sectors and said everyone should prepare go-bags with necessities such as medicine and documents.

For weeks, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyhad tried to moderate expectations of aggression by Russia, even as warnings by the United States became more urgent.

Zelenskyargued that panic would lead to societal destabilization that could be as much of a tactical advantage for Russia as the estimated 150,000 troops that had amassed on Ukraine's borders.

On Thursday, as the president imposed martial law, Ukrainians realized with a jolt that everything was changing.

"I feel panic, scared and excited. I don't know who I should ask for help," said Kyiv resident Elizaveta Melnik." We didn't believe this situation would come."

WATCH | Hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians flee Russian assault:

Hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians flee Russian assault

3 years ago

Duration 5:38

Ukrainians are fleeing the capital, Kyiv, as President Volodymyr Zelensky declares martial law in response to Russia's attack on multiple targets in the country.

Ukrainians in the western city of Lviv, not far from Poland, began lining up outside gun shops, encouraged by the government to join the national defence.

"We are defending and not attacking," said one resident, who gave his name only as Yuri. "This is our land, and we will fight to the last."