The barrage included 407 drones and 44 ballistic and cruise missiles, Ukrainian air force spokesperson Yurii Ihnat said.

Drones are “ubiquitous, because they are quite useful, and they're demonstrating that every day in Ukraine,” one analyst told NBC News.

Russia mounted an intense and sustained barrage of Kyiv overnight, with missiles and drones targeting the Ukrainian capital where there was a succession of large explosions, Reuters reporters in the city said.