It was the sound of an explosion that woke up Alyona Tkachenko and her family on Friday morning. The rockets were raining near their home in Ukraine’s capital, Kiev.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
“A house nearby caught fire and there were many victims<\/em>“She told the Reuters news agency.<\/p>\n After the siren of the air strike ended, the 36-year-old fled with her children and parents to a shelter on the other side of the Dnieper River.<\/p>\n The city faced a constant barrage of airstrikes as Russian forces entered from the north and east on Friday.<\/p>\n Windows have been blown out of apartment blocks and craters have formed in the streets. Damaged buildings and military debris can be seen all over the capital.<\/p>\n Anatoliy Marchenko, who was watching the damage to the balcony of his Kiev apartment, said he was ashamed to speak Russian. The 57-year-old had previously served in the Soviet Army.<\/p>\n “I know people there, they are my friends<\/em>“He said about Russia. ““The war has come to my home and that’s it.”<\/em><\/p>\n Residents took refuge at underground railway stations, while others took up arms to fight the advancing Russians.<\/p>\n Ukrainian authorities have called on civilian recruits and locals to make fire bombs as part of the fighting. About 18,000 weapons were given to the volunteers.<\/p>\n But thousands of locals have fled the capital since the start of the occupation on Thursday.<\/p>\n Iryna, 36, left for Slovakia with her mother and her two young daughters, leaving behind her husband who decided to support the government.<\/p>\n “We pray for Ukraine and I hope everything goes well<\/em>“She told the Reuters news agency.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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