Over the past few months, Kyiv has grown in confidence and ambition as it has ramped up drone attacks inside Russia. It’s struck as far as 1,800km (1,118 miles) in the past, when a long-range radar was hit in the city of Orsk.

An attack on Kyiv early Monday was the eighth on the Ukrainian capital in about two weeks, officials said, adding that most of the incoming Russian drones had been intercepted.

Ukraine's air force said on Thursday it had shot down all 42 drones and one of four missiles used by Russia during overnight attacks. Air defences went into operation in nine Ukrainian regions, the air force said in a statement on the Telegram messaging app nearly 31 months after Russia's full-scale invasion.