People in Kiev stood in long queues trying to stock up on supplies on Thursday after Russian forces invaded Ukraine, and a huge traffic jam blocked the main road heading west out of the capital as others tried to flee.
Kiev did not come under attack but signs of nervousness were growing as planes flew overhead, explosions were heard and an emergency siren sounded early in the morning.
Even after weeks of warnings by Ukrainian and Western politicians that a Russian attack was imminent, some people were caught off guard in the city of around three million people.
"I didn't expect this. Until this morning I believed nothing would happen," said Nikita, a 34-year-old marketing specialist, as he waited in a long line at a supermarket with bottles of water piled high in his shopping cart.
"I was woken up. I'm an adult healthy man. I packed, bought food and will stay at home with my family."
Other supermarkets and grocery stores were also packed with shoppers preparing to stay in Kiev, and credit and debt cards ware still working.