Russia says Ukraine has stepped up attacks on its energy facilities in defiance of a moratorium

Russia's Defense Ministry said Saturday that Ukraine has increased its attacks on Russian energy infrastructure, hitting 14 targets in the past 24 hours.

In a statement posted on Telegram, the Russian Defense Ministry said Ukraine had "increased the number of unilateral attacks using drones and artillery against energy infrastructure in various regions of Russia."

The Russian Defense Ministry said the attacks caused damage in the Russian cities of Bryansk, Belgorod, Smolensk, Lipetsk and Voronezh, as well as in the Russian-controlled Ukrainian territories of Luhansk and Kherson.

There was no official comment from Kiev on the Russian announcement, but the Ukrainian military said it had stopped attacks on Russian energy facilities on March 18.

Russia and Ukraine accuse each other of attacking Krivolog air strike kills 19

Russia and Ukraine last month agreed to a U.S. proposal to suspend attacks on each other's energy infrastructure for 30 days. Since then, both sides have repeatedly accused each other of violating the agreement.

Separately, authorities in the Russian regions of Mordova and Samara along the Volga River reported Ukrainian drone strikes on local industrial facilities.

At least 19 people, including nine children, were killed in a Russian attack on the Ukrainian city of Krivolog on Friday, local officials said.

The Russian Defense Ministry said the target was a military rally in the city, which the Ukrainian military denounced as a false claim.