'The worst sunrise in my life': Ukrainians wake to attack

At dawn on Thursday, Ukrainians’ uneasy efforts at normality were shattered

KYIV, Ukraine -- 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.