More than 900 civilian bodies have been discovered in the region surrounding the Ukrainian capital after the withdrawal of Russian forces, most of them fatally shot, police have said.

It is double the number announced two weeks ago by Ukrainian authorities. Earlier, Russia’s defence ministry promised to step up missile attacks on Kyiv in response to Ukraine’s alleged aggression on Russian territory.

It follows the loss of Moscow’s flagship in the Black Sea, which a senior US defence official said on Friday had been hit by at least one Ukrainian missile.

Andriy Nebytov, the head of Kyiv’s regional police force, said that around Kyiv, bodies were abandoned in the street or given temporary burials. He cited police data indicating that 95% had died from gunshot wounds.

“Consequently, we understand that under the occupation, people were simply executed in the streets,” Nebytov said.