Russia steps up strikes on Ukraine amid counterattacks

Chernihiv governor Vyacheslav Chaus at the same time reported that multiple missiles were fired from the territory of Belarus at the Honcharivska community

A Ukrainian self-propelled artillery shoots towards Russian forces at a frontline in the Kharkiv region of Ukraine (Evgeniy Maloletka/AP)

Russian forces have launched massive missile strikes on Ukraine’s Kyiv and Chernihiv regions, areas that have not been targeted in weeks, while Ukrainian officials announced an operation to liberate an occupied region in the country’s south.

Kyiv regional governor Oleksiy Kuleba said on Telegram that a settlement in the Vyshgorod district of the region was targeted early on Thursday morning and an “infrastructure object” was hit.