Kyiv has recently suffered the most intense bombing it has seen since Russia began its full-scale invasion three years ago. What does Vladimir Putin hope to achieve — and how can the destruction be stopped?

Hundreds of Russian drones and more than a dozen missiles rained down on the Ukrainian capital early on Thursday, killing two people in a second massive air strike on Ukraine in two days as Kyiv seeks critical aid from its partners at a meeting in Rome.

Between January and June, the number of Russian drone and missile attacks exceeded 23,000, a roughly 605% increase compared to the same period last year.