Russia fired 81 cruise missiles on Ukrainian cities, say officials

Kyiv general says more than half the strikes were shot down

Russia unleashed a barrage of 81 missiles in morning attacks across Ukraine, Kyiv’s top general claimed in the aftermath of the strikes.

Strikes killed at least eight in Kyiv, Ukrainian officials said, while explosions were also reported in the cities of Lviv, Odessa, Kharkiv, Mykolaiv, Ternopil, Kremenchuk and Dnipro.

Initially the number of missiles was put at 75 but this was later upgraded by Kyiv.