• Ukrainian air force spokesman says Russia has fired more than 60 missiles into Ukraine in latest round of strikes, reports PTI

Russia pounded Ukraine with missiles on Friday, hammering energy facilities and knocking out power as people took cover in shelters across the country, Ukrainian officials said.

The latest of several big waves of missile strikes since October hit critical infrastructure in areas including the eastern region of Kharkiv, the Black Sea region of Odesa and Vinnytsia in west central Ukraine, regional officials said.

Kharkiv, the central city of Poltava and parts of Kyiv were left without electricity and the northern Sumy region suffered power outages, they added.

At least three explosions rocked Kyiv, Reuters witnesses in the capital said, and air defences systems were in operation across Ukraine. Ukraine's railway operator said a number of railway lines were left without power.

"They want to destroy us, and make us slaves. But we will not surrender. We will endure,” said Lidiya Vasilieva, 53, as she headed for shelter at a Kyiv railway station.

"I want the war over and soon. But I ready to wait as long as needed,” she said.

Kyrylo Tymoshenko, deputy head of the president's office, said a residential building had been hit in the central city of Kryvyi Rih, and that there could be people trapped under the rubble.

There was no immediate word of casualties and it was not clear exactly what critical infrastructure had been hit.

"Do not ignore air raid alerts, remain in shelters,” Tymoshenko wrote on the Telegram messaging app.

MORE POWER CUTS AHEAD

Officials in the Zaporizhzhia region in southeastern Ukraine warned residents to expect more power cuts as engineers try to repair damage caused by the Russian attacks.

"We know of 15 impacts by Russian missiles (in the region),” Oleksandr Starukh, Zaporizhzhia's regional governor, wrote on Telegram.

“We ask citizens to prepare for possible temporary restrictions during restoration of damaged infrastructure.” Energy company DTEK said it was already enforcing electricity shutdowns in Kyiv to enable repairs.

Russia, which invaded Ukraine in February, has been attacking Ukrainian energy infrastructure since October, causing repeated power outages across the country at the start of winter. Moscow says the attacks on basic infrastructure are militarily legitimate. Ukraine says attacks intended to cause civilian misery are a war crime.