India, Aug. 28 -- Russia bombarded cities across Ukraine with missiles and drones in an overnight onslaught that ran into the daylight hours of Thursday, when explosions echoed around Kyiv through the morning.

Ukraine is desperately short of US-made Patriot air defence missiles that can counter Russia's ballistic missiles, and Moscow's fast-flying jet-powered drones have brought another challenge since the Russian military's full-scale invasion began four-and-a-half-years ago.

Ukrainian officials say Russia builds up missile stocks and launches major attacks every few days, hoping to exhaust Ukrainian defences through the sheer weight of numbers. In response, Ukraine has hit high-profile targets on Russian soil as the countries inflict ...