Russia renews missile attacks throughout Ukraine, including Kyiv

Nov. 17 (UPI) -- Russian rockets slammed into various locations in Ukraine on Thursday, including the capital city of Kyiv, along with the Odessa region and Dnipro, officials said.

Ukrainian state energy company Naftogaz said Russian missile strikes damaged or destroyed several of Ukraine's gas production facilities. Naftogaz chief executive Oleksiy Chernyshov said Russia used a "massive attack" to damage gas producer Ukrgazvydobuvannia in eastern Ukraine.

Ukrainian officials have accused Russia for weeks of carrying out devastating attacks on civilian infrastructure ahead of the winter to punish noncombatants.

Other attacks by Moscow have been confirmed in the southeastern region of Zaporhizhzhia and in the northeastern city of Kharkiv, while three were injured in the southern port of Odessa. A missile factory in Dnipro came under attack, as well.

Andriy Yermak, head of the Ukrainian presidential administration, gave defiant comments about the attack.

"The enemy thinks that he will weaken our defense with energy strikes and be able to strike in the back," Yermak said. "This is a naive tactic of cowardly losers that we are ready for. Ukraine has already withstood extremely difficult blows of the enemy, which did not have the results that these Russian cowards were counting on.

"We continue to move forward. Do not ignore the air raid sirens, they will not succeed. We will crush them."

Meanwhile, Russia called on the United States to help encourage Kyiv to come to the table for peace talks. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov accused Ukrainian leadership and President Volodymyr Zelensky of moving the goalpost at various times to establish conditions for negotiations.