The Kremlin said Thursday, Nov. 17, that the reason civilians were suffering from blackouts in Ukraine was Kyiv’s refusal to negotiate with Moscow and not missile strikes launched by Russian forces.

“The unwillingness of the Ukrainian side to settle the problem, to start negotiations, its refusal to seek common ground, this is their consequence,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, referring to hardship stemming from blackouts in Ukraine caused by Russian missile attacks.

Ukrainian authorities have warned of “difficult” days ahead as winter sets in.

With the energy infrastructure still reeling from Russian strikes, Kyiv saw its first snow of the season fall on Thursday.

“The special military operation is continuing, it does not depend on weather conditions,” Peskov said.

He said the Russian armed forces targeted “infrastructure directly or indirectly related to the Ukrainian armed forces”.

The largest wave of Russian missiles on cities across Ukraine earlier this week briefly cut power to seven million homes.

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