Russian missile attacks leave many Ukrainians without power, water

Russia has launched a barrage of missile strikes at Ukrainian cities on as it ramped up its attacks on infrastructure facilities across the country.

Explosions and air raid sirens were heard in Kyiv on Monday (Tuesday AEST) and 80 per cent of residents were left without water – with many losing electricity, too – following power outages caused by Russian strikes, the capital's mayor, Vitali Klitschko, said on Telegram.

One of the strikes hit an energy facility that powered 350,000 apartments in the capital, Klitschko said, adding that emergency services were attempting to restore power and "stabilise the situation as soon as possible."

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Attacks on critical infrastructure in the central regions of Cherkasy and Kirovohrad, the eastern region of Kharkiv, and the southern region of Zaphorizhzhia were also reported.

The Ukrainian military said it had eliminated about 90 per cent of the Russian missiles used in the attacks.

"The enemy attacked military and civilian infrastructure facilities with 55 aircraft guided missiles, 45 of which were shot down by our defenders," the military's General Staff said.

By Monday afternoon, power was still partially out for many – though it had been restored to some.

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"Power engineers plan to stabilise the situation with the electricity supply at about 9-10 pm," Klitschko said on Telegram, adding: "But even after the resumption of electricity supply, power cuts will still be applied. Because the situation is difficult."

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said that diplomats "are in constant contact with their partners" to try to get assistance and equipment to repair the extensive damage.

Kyiv is in touch with the European Union and NATO as well as several governments.

It had already concluded agreements in 12 countries to obtain nearly 1000 units of power equipment, including generators, according to Kuleba.

"We continue to work on increasing the number of partners and the volume of support," he added.

The wave of strikes came after Russia accused Ukraine of attacking the city of Sevastopol in Crimea over the weekend. Russia illegally annexed the Ukrainian peninsula in 2014 and has controlled the territory since then.

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