Ukrainian air defenses shot down 21 of the 59 drones launched by Russia overnight, while 38 others were "lost" across Ukraine, the Air Force said.

The attack ended a two-month pause in missile strikes on Kyiv, which had only been hit by Russian drones during that period.

Russia attacked the Ukrainian capital Kyiv with a sophisticated combination of missiles and drones for the first time in 73 days on Wednesday, authorities reported, as the Pentagon said most of the North Korean troops sent to help Moscow’s war effort are fighting to drive Ukraine’s army off Russian soil in the Kursk border region.