Ukrainian strikes disrupt power and heating to 2 major cities in Russia

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) 鈥� to two major Russian cities near the Ukrainian border, local Russian officials reported Sunday.

The report comes as on each other鈥檚 energy infrastructure and to stop the have not advanced.

Elsewhere, Ukraine’s top diplomat accused Moscow of deliberately endangering nuclear safety, as he said Russia鈥檚 mass drone and missile attack on Friday struck substations that power two nuclear power plants.

And in Russia, the Kremlin spokesman said Moscow intended to honor its obligations under a global nuclear test ban, despite to study the possibility of resuming atomic tests.

Power knocked out in two Russian cities

A drone strike temporarily caused blackouts and cut heating to parts of Voronezh, regional Gov. Alexander Gusev said. He said several drones were electronically jammed during the night over the city, home to just over 1 million people, sparking a fire at a local utility facility that was quickly extinguished.

Russian and Ukrainian news channels on Telegram claimed the strike targeted a local thermal power plant.

A missile strike late on Saturday also caused 鈥渟erious damage鈥� to power and heating systems supplying the city of Belgorod, with some 20,000 households affected, local Gov. Vyacheslav Gladkov reported the following morning.

Russia鈥檚 defense ministry said Sunday that its forces destroyed or intercepted 44 Ukrainian drones during the night that flew over the Bryansk and Rostov regions in southwestern Russia. The statement made no mention of either the Voronezh or Belgorod provinces, nor did it specify how many drones Ukraine launched.

Local authorities in the Rostov region on Sunday reported on hourslong blackouts in the city of Taganrog, home to some 240,000 people, blaming them on an emergency shutdown of a power line. They did not specify the cause, though local media claimed a nearby transformer substation caught fire.

Months of on Russian refineries have aimed to deprive Moscow of the it needs to pursue the war. Meanwhile, Kyiv and its western allies say Russia is trying to and deny civilians access to heat, light and running water for a fourth consecutive winter, in what Ukrainian officials call 鈥渨eaponizing鈥� the biting cold.

Strikes endanger power supply to nuclear plants

Russia’s mass drone and missile strikes Friday hit power substations that supply two of Ukraine鈥檚 nuclear power plants, according to Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha.

鈥淩ussia once again targeted substations that power the Khmelnytskyi and Rivne nuclear power plants,鈥� Sybiha said in a statement on X late Saturday. 鈥淭hese were not accidental but well-planned strikes. Russia is deliberately endangering nuclear safety in Europe.鈥�

Sybiha called for an urgent meeting of the International Atomic Energy Agency board of governors to respond to the risks posed by the attacks.

Moscow鈥檚 massive last winter have heightened scrutiny over the Ukrainian Energy Ministry鈥檚 apparent failure to protect the country鈥檚 most critical energy facilities near nuclear power sites, according to several current and former officials .

Meanwhile, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Saturday that work has begun on President Vladimir Putin鈥檚 order to prepare plans for , according to state news agency Tass.

Putin鈥檚 order on Wednesday followed , which appeared to suggest that Washington would restart its own atomic tests for the first time in three decades.

Kremlin says Russia will abide by nuclear ban

Russia will abide by its obligations under a global nuclear ban, the Kremlin spokesman said Sunday, following days of uncertainty over that appeared to suggest Washington might restart atomic tests after more than three decades.

Trump’s comments came after Russia announced it had and nuclear-capable underwater drone and a new But Moscow did not announce any tests of its nuclear weapons, which last occurred in 1990.

鈥淧utin has repeatedly said that Russia is committed to its obligation to end nuclear tests, and that we have no intention鈥� of conducting them, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.

Earlier this week, of resuming nuclear testing, though Russia said it would not do so unless the U.S. did so first.

Russia’s Lavrov says he’s ready to meet Rubio

Elsewhere, Russia鈥檚 top diplomat said Sunday that he was ready to meet U.S. Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, to discuss the war in Ukraine and mending bilateral ties.

鈥淪ecretary of State Marco Rubio and I understand the need for regular communication,鈥� Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told Russia鈥檚 Ria state agency, weeks after between the Russian and U.S. leaders were put on ice.

Lavrov on Sunday repeated that peace can鈥檛 be achieved without 鈥渢aking Russian interests into account,” a phrase Moscow has used to signal it is standing firm in its