Russia-Ukraine War Live Updates: Russia launches new missile attacks, Ukrainians head for shelters

President Vladimir Putin on Monday visited the bridge linking the annexed Crimean peninsula and southern Russia, news agencies reported. According to the reports, Putin took a ride in a car on the bridge, a showcase project of his rule, and spoke to the builders who were repairing the facility after it was damaged in a blast in October.

(Reuters photo)

"Missiles have already been launched," air force spokesperson Yuriy Ihnat said. There was no immediate word of any damage or casualties but officials were quoted by Ukrainian media as saying that explosions could be heard overhead in some areas as aid defence systems went into action.

Ukraine said Russia had launched a new round of missile attacks on Monday as the West tried to limit Moscow's ability to finance its invasion by imposing a price cap on Russian seaborne oil.

Russian forces have increasingly targeted Ukrainian energy facilities in recent weeks as they faced setbacks on the battlefield, causing major power outages as winter sets in.

Russia unleashed a new barrage of missiles on Ukraine on Monday, causing people to head to shelters across the country as air defences went into action. Air raid sirens blared in the capital Kyiv and across the whole country in what Ukrainian officials described as the latest wave of Russian missile strikes since its Feb. 24 invasion.

After several rounds of talks earlier in the war, Kyiv and Moscow have not met to negotiate the end of the conflict for months. Kyiv says peace talks are only possible if Russia halts its attacks and withdraws from all Ukrainian territories it seized. But the Kremlin said the West must recognise Moscow's declared annexation in September of "new territories" before any talks with Putin.

French President Emmanuel Macron's suggestion the West should consider Russia's need for security guarantees if Moscow agrees to talks to end the war in Ukraine unleashed a storm of criticism in Kyiv and its Baltic allies over the weekend. In an interview with French TV station TF1, Macron said that Europe needs to prepare its future security architecture and also think "how to give guarantees to Russia the day it returns to the negotiating table."

"We cannot allow any kind of internal conflicts and strike that can weaken us all, even if someone out there thinks that it will somehow strengthen him personally." Western nations have condemned waves of Russian air strikes on civilian and power infrastructure.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy urged Ukrainians to be patient and strong in resisting the rigours of winter, as officials pressed ahead with efforts to restore power and other services knocked out by Russian air strikes. Russia has been pounding Ukraine's power infrastructure since early October, causing blackouts and leaving millions without heating as temperatures plummet.

The head of US intelligence says fighting in Russia’s war in Ukraine is running at a “reduced tempo” and suggests Ukrainian forces could have brighter prospects in coming months. Avril Haines alluded to past allegations by some that Russian President Vladimir Putin’s advisers could be shielding him from bad news — for Russia — about war developments, and said he “is becoming more informed of the challenges that the military faces in Russia.”