Putin vows to continue hitting Ukraine's power grid

Vladimir Putin has vowed to proceed attacking Ukraine's vigor infrastructure contempt millions being near without energy oregon water.

"Yes, we bash that. But who started it?" the Russian president said astatine an awards ceremonial successful the Kremlin.

He said that disapproval of Russian strikes would "not interfere with our combat missions".

Moscow has been battering Ukraine's powerfulness grid since 10 October, pursuing a drawstring of dense subject defeats.

Some Western leaders person called the strategy a warfare crime, due to the fact that of the immense magnitude of harm caused to civilian infrastructure.

But President Putin said that increasing planetary disapproval would not halt the strikes.

"There's a batch of sound astir our strikes connected the vigor infrastructure of a neighbouring country. Yes, we bash that. But who started it?" helium said to recipients of authorities awards, including the "Hero of Russia" medal.

He said the strikes were successful effect to a blast connected the Russian span to annexed Crimea. He besides accused Ukraine blowing up powerfulness lines from the Kursk atomic powerfulness works and of cutting h2o proviso to Donetsk successful eastbound Ukraine.

"Not supplying h2o to a metropolis of much than a cardinal radical is an enactment of genocide," Mr Putin said, accusing the West of "complete silence" connected these claims and of bias against Russia.

The Russian president said that erstwhile Moscow responds to Ukrainian aggression "there is uproar and clamour spreading done the full universe".

Ukraine is present seeing snowfall and sub-zero temperatures successful galore regions, and millions are without energy and moving water, raising fears radical whitethorn dice of hypothermia.

The state switched to exigency shutdowns to stabilise its powerfulness grid aft a caller question of Russian rocket attacks connected Monday.

Experts person told the BBC that Russia's maneuver of hitting vigor infrastructure is astir apt designed to demoralise and terrorise the population, alternatively than summation immoderate factual subject vantage - a determination that would interruption planetary law.

Moscow has repeatedly denied the allegations.