It began before dawn. An assault on Ukraine. An assault on Europe. After weeks of promising he meant this country no harm, Vladimir Putin finally gave the order to attack.
Within minutes targets had been hit all over. From airports in the west and south, to apartment blocks in the east. Rockets fired from inside Russia rained down on the outskirts of Ukraine’s second largest city, Kharkiv.
Soon armoured columns crossed into the country from Crimea in the south and Belarus in the north. Moving swiftly, perhaps with the intention of cutting the country in two.
At an airport no more than 20 miles (32 km) from the centre of Kyiv, paratroopers arrived while it was still dark, quickly establishing a base that could be used to launch attacks on the capital.
Here in Kyiv, which has been so calm through recent weeks of this mounting crisis, there was shock, fear, and panic. People sheltered underground, formed long queues at supermarkets and banks, and in many cases, got in their cars and tried to drive out, causing gridlock. At Kyiv’s bus station, young people looked for any way to leave.
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