KYIV, Ukraine Nov 19 (AFP)- Millions of Ukrainians in more than a dozen provinces are experiencing severe power disruptions as temperatures plunge and almost half of the country's energy infrastructure is in need of repair after weeks of Russian attacks, officials in Kyiv said Friday (Nov 18).

Russia, meanwhile, accused Kyiv's forces of executing a group of its soldiers who were surrendering to Ukraine in what Moscow described as a "massacre" that amounted to a war crime.

The assessment by Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal of the widespread damage to the country's grid comes after weeks of sustained Russian attacks on its energy infrastructure.

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

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said 17 provinces and the capital Kyiv were struggling with power cuts, but engineers were working to repair the power grid and blackouts were becoming less frequent.

The Russian defence ministry said Friday it was only targeting military-linked facilities and that a series of long-range and precision strikes the day before had "hit exactly the designated objects".

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

Zelenskyy on Friday dismissed the idea of a "short truce" with Russia, saying it would only make things worse.

"Russia is now looking for a short truce, a respite to regain strength. Someone may call this the war's end, but such a respite will only worsen the situation," he said in remarks broadcast at the Halifax International Security Forum in Canada.

"A truly real, long-lasting and honest peace can only be the result of the complete demolition of Russian aggression," Zelenskyy said.

Nearly nine months of fighting between Ukraine and Russia has spurred credible allegations of war crimes from both sides.