On the 24th of February 2022, air raid sirens sounded across Kyiv at 5:42 a.m. as Russian missiles struck military targets and border units, marking the start of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Residents were woken by the loud, wailing alarms for the first time since World War II. Many rushed to basements or metro stations while explosions echoed in the distance. The alarm system, tested only days earlier, became operational nationwide that morning. President Zelensky declared martial law mi