Critical infrastructure across Ukraine was pounded again on Saturday, with several regions reporting strikes on energy facilities while missiles were shot down in others.

1:17pm: Russia says it repelled attempted Ukrainian attacks in east and south

Russia's defence ministry said on Saturday that its forces had repelled attempted Ukrainian offensives in the eastern regions of Luhansk and Donetsk and the southern region of Kherson.

It said Russian forces had prevented an attempt by Ukraine to break through its line of defence in Kherson region by the settlements of Piatykhatky, Suhanove, Sablukivka and Bezvodne. Reuters could not independently verify battlefield reports.

1:14pm: Iran warns West over 'provocative' Ukraine drone claims

Tehran on Saturday warned European countries against "provocative approaches", after they urged a UN probe into Iranian drones the West says Russia is using in Ukraine.

In a letter to the United Nations a day earlier, France, Britain and Germany called for an "impartial" investigation into the matter, after the EU and Britain slapped new sanctions on Tehran this week.

Iran has denied supplying Russia with weapons for use in Ukraine, and Moscow has accused the West of seeking to put "pressure" on Tehran with the allegations.

"The Islamic republic of Iran considers the current provocative approaches of the European Union and the United Kingdom to be part of a targeted political scenario," foreign ministry spokesperson Nasser Kanani said in a statement.

10:04am: Ukrainian infrastructure pounded again

Critical infrastructure across Ukraine was pounded again on Saturday, with several regions reporting strikes on energy facilities while missiles were shot down in others.

Energy facilities in the regions of Odesa, Kirovohrad and Lutsk had been hit, according to local officials, while other regions reported problems with electricity.

"Another rocket attack from terrorists who are fighting against civilian infrastructure and people," the Ukrainian president's chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, wrote on the Telegram app.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian forces shot down a Russian missile over the Kyiv region, local police chief Andriy Nyebytov said, posting a photograph of a column of smoke rising from a forest where he said the missile's debris had landed.

7:11pm: Russian nuke use would be 'act of hostility against humanity'

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida warned Saturday that Russia using nuclear weapons would be seen as an "act of hostility against humanity", describing President Vladimir Putin's sabre rattling as "deeply disturbing".

"Russia's act of threatening the use of nuclear weapons is a serious threat to the peace and security of the international community and absolutely unacceptable," said Kishida, who leads the only country ever hit with a nuclear bomb.

In May next year, Kishida is expected to host leaders from the G7 countries in Hiroshima, where a US nuclear bomb was dropped on August 6, 1945, resulting in the deaths of 140,000 people.

2:06am: European countries urge UN probe of Iran drones in Ukraine

France, Britain and Germany called Friday in a letter to the United Nations for an "impartial" investigation into Iranian drones the West says Russia is using in the war in Ukraine.

"We would welcome an investigation by the UN Secretariat team responsible for monitoring the implementation of UNSCR 2231," the UN ambassadors of the three countries wrote.

UN Security Council Resolution 2231 endorsed the international agreement that provided for sanctions relief in exchange for curbs on Iran's nuclear program – a deal that was later scrapped by then-US president Donald Trump.

In their letter, which was addressed to the Security Council and Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, the ambassadors said they would "stand ready to support the work of the Secretariat in conducting its technical and impartial investigation."

(FRANCE 24 with AP, AFP and REUTERS)