Russia targets Kyiv and Odesa with missiles but Ukraine says most were shot down

It is the ninth Russian air raid to target the capital this month, a clear escalation after weeks of lull that comes before an expected Ukrainian counteroffensive using newly supplied advanced western weapons.

A man plants sunflowers in his garden between the damaged Russian tank and its turret in the village of Velyka Dymerka, Kyiv region, Ukraine (Efrem Lukatsky/AP)

Russia has launched cruise missiles at Ukraine’s capital and the Odesa region, officials said.

It marks an escalation ahead of a much-anticipated counteroffensive.