LONDON - Russia continues to hit non-military targets in Ukraine such as residential properties and transport hubs in a bid to weaken the country's resolve, Britain's defence ministry said on Wednesday.

In a regular military intelligence update, Britain also said that despite Russian ground operations focusing on eastern Ukraine, missile strikes continued across the country as Moscow sought to hamper Ukrainian resupply efforts.

"As Russian operations have faltered, non-military targets including schools, hospitals, residential properties and transport hubs have continued to be hit, indicating Russia’s willingness to target civilian infrastructure in an attempt to weaken Ukrainian resolve," the update, posted on Twitter, said.

"The continued targeting of key cities such as Odessa, Kherson and Mariupol highlights their desire to fully control access to the Black Sea, which would enable them to control Ukraine’s sea lines of communication, negatively impacting their economy."

(Reporting by Kylie MacLellan Editing by Chris Reese)