Ukrainians’ uneasy efforts at normality were shattered on Thursday. A Russian attack, after weeks of warnings, had hit home. 

Smoke rose from cities, even well away from the country’s east, where conflict has simmered for years. A missile fragment pierced the ceiling of an apartment. 

For many, panic set in, and cars flocked to fuel stations or fled from the gray and drizzly capital, Kyiv. People with luggage took shelter in the subway, unsure of where to go. 

Others clung to routine, with irritation. “I’m not afraid. I’m going to work. The only unusual thing is that you can’t find a taxi,” one Kyiv resident complained, even as air raid sirens wailed.