Russian strikes kill at least nine in Kyiv and Kharkiv

At least nine people have been killed after Russia launched a heavy overnight attack on Kyiv and Kharkiv, Ukrainian officials said.

Dozens more were injured as missiles and drones hit the two cities in the early hours of Monday.

President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russia fired more than 60 missiles at Kyiv alone, and used 70 missiles and 611 drones across Ukraine.

In the capital, at least four people were killed and 28 injured.

A fire also broke out at a church inside Kyiv’s Pechersk Lavra, one of Ukraine’s most important Orthodox sites and a UNESCO World Heritage landmark.

Kyiv’s mayor said flames reached the roof of the Church of the Assumption.

The head of Ukraine’s Orthodox Church called the attack “a crime against humanity, history and Christianity”.