Kyiv and the eastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv were mainly affected, with the Ukrainian air force saying Russia had fired a total of 99 rockets and cruise missiles of various types.

Of these, 72 missiles were intercepted, including all 10 Kinzhal hypersonic missiles, the air force said. The information could not initially be independently verified.

In Kyiv, there was damage and fires in eight of the 10 city districts – mainly caused by falling missile debris. Earlier in the night, the air force said it had shot down all 35 Iranian-made Shahed combat drones that approached.

Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko reported two deaths on Telegram.

“I am grateful to our defenders, the air defence forces, for destroying most of the enemy’s targets,” he added.

Loud explosions could be heard in the city of millions, according to reports from residents. There were power outages in several neighbourhoods.

Civil infrastructure facilities were hit and a gas pipeline was damaged. Problems with the water supply were also reported.

Air strikes were also reported in other parts of the country. According to initial reports from the authorities, at least one person was killed in Kharkiv and more than 20 people were injured.

Russia has intensified its bombardment of Ukraine over recent nights.

Moscow’s war against its neighbour has been going on for almost two years and although Ukraine fought back strongly last year after 2022’s invasion, the tide appears to be turning Russia’s way again.

For example, very few of the modern Leopard 2A6 battle tanks supplied by Germany are currently in service in Ukraine, a German parliamentary letter seen by dpa suggested.

A shortage of spare parts and damage caused by Ukrainian repair attempts have been blamed for the issue.

Germany’s Green Party member Sebastian Schäfer, who together with Defence Minister Boris Pistorius visited a tank repair workshop in Lithuania late last year, wrote to the German defence companies involved.

He wrote: “Unfortunately, it has to be noted that only a very small number of the battle tanks supplied can still be used by Ukraine.”

But there are signs of hope for Ukraine, as well as bouts of Schadenfreude.

A missile accidentally hit the Russian village of Petropavlovka in the Voronezh border region during the latest heavy Russian air strikes on Ukraine.

According to initial reports, seven homes were damaged as a result, the governor of the Russian region, Alexander Gusev, wrote on Telegram. There were no injuries.

Gusev spoke of an “accidental release” of the projectile and did not specify the type of weapon.

In Poland, the air strikes against neighbouring Ukraine have also been closely monitored.

Two F-16 fighter jets each from the Polish and US air forces have taken to the skies for safety reasons, commanders announced on the X social media platform.

According to the Polish General Staff, a Russian missile entered Polish airspace on Friday for three minutes before leaving it again in the direction of Ukraine.

Unlike Ukraine, Poland is a member of both Nato and the European Union. If Poland is attacked, even accidentally, Nato may be forced to fully intervene in the war rather than just supply Ukraine with weapons.

Additional reporting by Associated Press, Agence France-Presse