December 29, 2022 Russia-Ukraine news

Another wave of Russian missile strikes left several Ukrainian regions without power on Thursday, with crews across the country racing to restore power as the New Year holidays approach.

Ukraine's Energy Minister Herman Halushchenko said that infrastructure in Kyiv, in north central Ukraine, and Odesa, in the south, had been damaged in the barrage and were experiencing emergency power outages -- when the electricity is protectively turned off to diminish damage from the grid shorting out.

Forty percent of Kyiv residents were without power, mayor Vitali Klitschko said Thursday, adding that this was due to security measures taken by power engineers during the air raid alarm and that they were now working to restore services. “The city is supplying heat and water in normal mode,” Klitschko said on the messaging platform Telegram.

Authorities in Odesa, in southern Ukraine, said that emergency power outages had been rolled out amid the missile attacks. “They are introduced due to the threat of missile attacks to avoid significant damage if the enemy manages to hit energy facilities,” DTEK, a utility company, said in a statement.

In western Ukraine, Lviv Mayor Andrii Sadovyi said that 90% of the city was without power, cautioning that the city's waterworks could also to stop working.

Ukrainian air defenses intercepted 16 missiles over Kyiv, the capital's mayor said Thursday, amid a fresh barrage by Russia targeting civilian infrastructure. 

At least three people, including a 14-year-old, were injured and two people pulled from a damaged home, Klitschko said earlier.

Homes, an industrial facility and a playground in the capital have been damaged in the barrage, according to the Kyiv city military administration.

Moscow views Kyiv's proposed peace plan as "another PR campaign from Washington" as Ukraine and the West proliferate "striking but unreliable statements," Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said Thursday. 

Her comments came after Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Moscow would not negotiate with Kyiv under the terms set out in Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's 10-point peace formula.

Zakharova also claimed that Kyiv's plans to hold a peace summit only if Russia fully capitulates "tells us they are starting to signal they don't have any strength left."

Some background: Ukraine’s 10-point peace formula was presented by Zelensky to world leaders at the Group of 20 summit in Bali, Indonesia, in November. The steps include a path to nuclear safety, food security, a special tribunal for alleged Russian war crimes, and a final peace treaty with Moscow.

Ukraine's northeastern Kharkiv region and its main Kharkiv city are "under attack of enemy rockets," the regional military chief said in a Telegram post Thursday. 

Oleh Syniehubov, head of the Kharkiv regional military administration said four rockets had hit the city — likely S300s.

Search and rescue efforts were ongoing, he added, saying "the danger has not passed yet" and urging residents to stay in shelters.

Kharkiv's mayor earlier said a series of explosions had been heard.

Russia captured swathes of Kharkiv in the early days of its invasion, before Ukrainian forces retook most of the bordering region in an offensive in the fall.

At least three people were injured in Kyiv Thursday, including a 14-year-old child, after Russia fired missiles at the capital, Mayor Vitalii Klitschko said.

Two people were rescued from the debris of a damaged home, Klitschko said in an update on Telegram.

Search and rescue operations are ongoing, Klitschko added.

Lviv Mayor Andrii Sadovyi said 90% of the western city is without power and also warned of water disruptions as a result of Russian attacks Thursday.

In the capital Kyiv, Mayor Vitali Kitschko earlier warned residents of possible power and water outages after the Russian strikes.

Air defense systems were activated across Ukraine Thursday morning after Russia fired more than 120 missiles at a number of cities, according to Ukrainian officials.

Russia's attack on Ukraine's capital Thursday damaged homes, an industrial facility and a playground, according to the Kyiv city military administration.

Air defenses are still working and authorities were working to clarify information on casualties, the administration said.

Russia fired more than 120 missiles at cities across Ukraine on Thursday, according to Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak. 

Air raid sirens sounded around Ukraine Thursday morning as officials reported missile strikes and air defense systems being activated in Kyiv, Kharkiv, Mykolaiv, Zhytomyr and Poltava among other cities.

Kyiv Mayor Vitali Kitschko warned residents of possible power and water outages after Russian missile attacks against the Ukrainian capital on Thursday. 

Ukraine was hit with a new round of Russian missile attacks on Thursday, with blasts heard by CNN's team in Kyiv.

Air raid sirens have also sounded in several cities as officials reported missile strikes and air defense systems being activated, including Kharkiv in the northeast, Mykolaiv in the south, as well as Zhytomyr and Poltava in central Ukraine.