Ukrainian refugees should not return until spring to help ease pressure on the energy system after a wave of Russian attacks, the government said, News.az reports citing BBC.

"The networks will not cope," said Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk. "You see what Russia is doing."

"We need to survive the winter," she added.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russian air strikes had destroyed more than a third of the country's energy sector.

Ms Vereshchuk said that although she would like Ukrainians to return in the spring, it was important to refrain from returning for now because "the situation will only get worse".

"If it is possible, stay abroad for the time being," she added.