More than 900 civilian bodies have been discovered in the region surrounding the Ukrainian capital following the withdrawal of Russian forces — most of them fatally shot, police said Friday, an indication that many people were "simply executed.”

The jarring numbers emerged shortly after Russia’s Defense Ministry promised to step up missile attacks on Kyiv in response to Ukraine’s alleged aggression on Russian territory. That ominous warning followed the stunning loss of Moscow's flagship in the Black Sea, which a senior U.S. defense official said Friday was indeed hit by at least one Ukrainian missile.

Ukrainian officials have not confirmed striking targets in Russia, and the reports could not be independently verified.

However, Ukrainian officials said their forces did strike a key Russian warship with missiles. And after more than a day of the Pentagon saying it could not confirm the claim, a senior U.S. defense official said it now believes the Moskva was hit Wednesday by at least one, and probably two, missiles, creating the large fire aboard. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss an intelligence assessment.

The guided-missile cruiser Moskva, named for the Russian capital, then sank while being towed to port Thursday after suffering heavy damage. Though Moscow did not acknowledge any attack, the loss of the ship represents an important victory for Ukraine and a symbolic defeat for Russia.

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