Following weeks of Russian strikes that have interrupted the energy supply for millions of people as temperatures drop, Ukraine announced on Friday that almost half of its power infrastructure has to be repaired.

In the meantime, Russia accused Ukrainian forces of carrying out a "massacre" that amounted to a war crime by killing a number of its men who were handing themselves in.

The assessment by Prime Minister Denys Shmygal of the widespread damage to Ukraine’s grid comes after weeks of sustained Russian attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure.

“On November 15 alone, Russia fired about 100 missiles at Ukrainian cities. Nearly half of our energy system has been disabled,” Shmygal said, appealing to European allies for support.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told the nation on Thursday that some 10 million people were suffering blackouts as a result.

But the Russian defense ministry said Friday it was only targeting military-linked facilities, and said a series of long-range and precision strikes the day before had “hit exactly the designated objects.”

And the Kremlin this week blamed the blackouts and their civilian impact on Kyiv’s refusal to negotiate with Moscow, not on Russian missile attacks.