By KAMILA HRABCHUK

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russia carried out a major overnight attack on Ukraine in what President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Tuesday was a broken commitment to halt striking energy infrastructure as the countries prepared for more talks on ending Moscow’s 4-year-old full-scale invasion.

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The bombardment included hundreds of drones and a record 32 ballistic missiles, wounding at least 10 people. It specifically took aim at the power grid, Zelenskyy said, as part of what Ukraine says is Moscow’s ongoing campaign to deny civilians light, heating and running water during the coldest winter in years.

“Taking advantage of the coldest days of winter to terrorize people is more important to Russia than diplomacy,” Zelenskyy said. Temperatures in Kyiv fell to minus 20 degrees Celsius (minus 4 Fahrenheit) during the night and stood at minus 16 C (minus 3 F) on Tuesday.

NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte visited Kyiv in a show of support. He said that the overnight strikes raise doubts about Moscow’s intentions on the eve of talks, calling them “a really bad signal.”

He added that it was clear that the attacks only strengthen Ukrainians’ resolve.

Officials have described recent talks between Moscow and Kyiv delegations as constructive. But after a year of efforts, the Trump administration is still searching for a breakthrough on key issues such as who keeps the Ukrainian land that Russia’s army has occupied, and a comprehensive settlement appears distant. The talks in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, are scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday.

Zelenskyy said Ukraine is ready to discuss how to end the fighting. “But no one is going to surrender,” he said.

Dispute over power grid attacks

A Kremlin official said last week that Russia had agreed to halt strikes on Kyiv for a week until Feb. 1 because of the frigid temperatures, following a personal request from U.S. President Donald Trump to Russian President Vladimir Putin. However, the bitter cold is continuing and so are Russia’s aerial attacks.

Zelenskyy, however, accused Russia of breaking its commitment to hold off its attacks on Ukraine’s energy assets, claiming the weeklong pause was due to come into force last Friday.

“We believe this Russian strike clearly violates what the American side discussed, and there must be consequences,” he said.

The bombardment of at least five regions of Ukraine comprised 450 long-range drones and 70 missiles, Ukrainian officials said.

Russian officials provided no immediate response to Zelenskyy’s comments.

Ukraine says Russia has tried to wear down Ukrainians’ appetite for the fight by creating hardship for the civilian population living in dark, freezing homes.

It has tried to wreck Ukraine’s electricity network, targeting substations, transformers, turbines and generators at power plants. Ukraine’s largest private power company, DTEK, said that the overnight attack hit its thermal power plants in the ninth major assault since October.

NATO show of support

Rutte addressed the Ukrainian parliament during his visit and said that countries in the military alliance “are ready to provide support quickly and consistently” as peace efforts drag on.

Since last summer, NATO members have provided 75% of all missiles, and 90% of those used for Ukraine’s air defense, under a financial arrangement whereby alliance countries buy American weapons to give to Ukraine, he said.

European countries, fearing Moscow’s ambitions, see their own future security as being on the line in Ukraine.

“Be assured that NATO stands with Ukraine and is ready to do so for years to come,” Rutte said. “Your security is our security. Your peace is our peace. And it must be lasting.”

Kyiv apartment blocks left without power

In Kyiv, officials said that five people were wounded in the strikes that damaged and set fire to residential buildings, a kindergarten and a gas station in various parts of the capital, according to the State Emergency Service.

By early morning, 1,170 apartment buildings in the capital were without heating, Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said. That set back desperate repair operations that had restored heat to all but 80 apartment buildings before the attack, he said.

Russia also struck Ukraine’s northeastern Kharkiv region, where injuries were reported, and the southern Odesa region.

The attack also damaged the Hall of Fame at the National Museum of the History of Ukraine in the Second World War, in Kyiv, Ukrainian Culture Minister Tetiana Berezhna said.

“It is symbolic and cynical at the same time: The aggressor state strikes a place of memory about the fight against aggression in the 20th century, repeating crimes in the 21st,” Berezhna said.

Follow AP’s coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine 

By MARCIA DUNN

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — NASA’s long-awaited moonshot with astronauts is off until at least March because of hydrogen fuel leaks that marred the dress rehearsal of its giant new rocket.

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It’s the same problem that delayed the Space Launch System rocket’s debut three years ago. That first test flight was grounded for months because of leaking hydrogen.

NASA announced the news Tuesday, shortly after the critical fueling test ended at Kennedy Space Center. Until the exasperating hydrogen leaks, the space agency had been targeting as soon as this weekend for humanity’s first trip to the moon in more than half a century.

“As always, safety remains our top priority,” NASA’s new administrator Jared Isaacman said via X. “We will only launch when we believe we are as ready to undertake this historic mission.”

Officials said the monthlong delay will allow the launch team to conduct another fueling test before committing the four astronauts — three U.S. and one Canadian — to a lunar fly-around.

The leaks cropped up early in Monday’s loading operation and again hours later, ultimately halting the countdown clocks at the five-minute mark. Launch controllers had wanted to get all the way down to a half-minute in the countdown.

NASA interrupted the flow of hydrogen several times in an attempt to warm up the area between the rocket and fuel lines and, hopefully, reseat any loose seals. But that didn’t work and neither did altering the flow of the hydrogen — adjustments that allowed the first SLS rocket to finally soar without a crew in 2022.

With their launch now off until at least March 6, commander Reid Wiseman and his crew were given the all-clear to emerge from quarantine in Houston. They will reenter it two weeks before the next launch attempt.

NASA has only a handful of days any given month to send them around the moon — the first time astronauts will have flown there since 1972. They won’t land on the moon or even go into lunar orbit during the nearly 10-day mission, but rather check out life support and other vital capsule systems ahead of a moon landing by other astronauts in a few years.

NASA sent 24 astronauts to the moon during the 1960s and 1970s Apollo. The new Artemis program is aiming for new territory — the moon’s south polar region — and looking to keep crews on the lunar surface for much longer periods.

The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

CORTINA D’AMPEZZO, Italy — Lindsey Vonn is “confident” she can compete at the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics beginning this week with a torn ACL from a crash four days ago.

Vonn said on Tuesday the damage to her left knee was a “completed ruptured” ACL, plus bone bruising and “meniscal damage.”

United States’ Lindsey Vonn ahead of an alpine ski, women’s World Cup downhill, in Crans Montana , Switzerland, Friday, Jan. 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Pier Marco Tacca)

After three days of physical therapy and doctors’ advice, Vonn skied on Tuesday. She did not appear to be limping as she entered and exited a news conference.

“My knee is not swollen, and with the help of a knee brace, I am confident that I can compete on Sunday,” Vonn said.

“So, this is not obviously what I had hoped for. I know what my chances were before the crash and I know my chances aren’t the same as it stands today. But I know there’s still a chance, and as long as there’s a chance, I will try.

“I will do everything in my power to be in the starting gate.”

Vonn, 41, crashed in a World Cup downhill in Crans-Montana, Switzerland, on Friday and ended up in the safety nets. After skiing to the bottom of the course she was taken to a hospital.

Vonn, whose skiing career started at Buck Hill in Burnsville, was expected to be one of the biggest stars of the Winter Games, which start Friday with the opening ceremony. Her first race comes two days later in the women’s downhill on Sunday. Then Vonn was also planning on competing in super-G and the new team combined event.

The opening women’s downhill training session is scheduled for Thursday.

Teammate Bella Wright said Vonn has what it takes — a strong mental state — to ski through her injuries.

“If anyone can do it, it’s Lindsey,” Wright said.

Vonn has had numerous other crashes and injuries in her career.

“This would be the best comeback I’ve done so far,” she said. “Definitely the most dramatic.”

Vonn made a stunning comeback last season at age 40 after nearly six years away from ski racing. Skiing with a partial titanium implant in her right knee, she has been the circuit’s leading downhiller this season with two victories and three other podium finishes in five races.

Including super-G, Vonn completed eight World Cup races and finished on the podium in seven of them. Her worst finish was fourth.

Women’s skiing during the Games will be in Cortina, where Vonn holds the World Cup record with 12 wins.

Vonn has won three Olympic medals: Gold in downhill and bronze in super-G in 2010 and bronze in downhill in 2018.

Associated Press writer Jennifer McDermott contributed.

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Only gives Trump what he wants

I am a Democrat who is appalled at the ICE activities associated with “Metro Surge.” This operation is clearly political theater with the intent of punishing and antagonizing a blue urban area and state. If the Trump Administration really wanted to round up many undocumented immigrants, they would prioritize Texas and Florida, who have far more of these individuals than Minnesota. If this really were about cleaning up social services-related corruption, they would have sent accountants and other white-collar investigators, not masked and poorly trained thugs.

Donald Trump and his lieutenants wish to provoke violent responses which he can throw as red meat to his supporters. For the most part, Minnesotans have admirably denied him this type of reaction. However, Trump got what he wanted when violence recently broke out at a Minneapolis hotel where ICE agents were staying. As reported in the Jan. 27 edition of the Pioneer Press, protesters attempted to enter this hotel, clashing with a Minneapolis police officer and federal personnel and causing significant property damage during the overall incident. This sort of activity is performative and counterproductive. It is probably gratifying to the participants but only gives Trump what he wants.

Another story in the Jan. 27 edition of the Pioneer Press covered the primary individuals who entered a church service at Cities Church on Summit Avenue in St. Paul to protest ICE activities; this church was targeted because the acting Minnesota field office manager of ICE works as a pastor for the church. While not nearly as problematic as the violence shown at the hotel referenced above, this also is an example of performative actions which are counterproductive, in my opinion. Yes, the actions got the participants significant media coverage, but it provided more red meat for the MAGA base without achieving corresponding gains for the anti-ICE cause. Peaceful protest for a just cause is a noble activity, but to take it inside an active house of worship is inappropriate.

Peter Langworthy, St. Paul

We all care

I appreciated Richard Powell’s letter to the editor (“Compassion to go around”) in this past Sunday’s newspaper.

Specifically, his comments about compassion. Liberal Democrats have not cornered the market on compassion and empathy.  I would like to think and believe that everyone, no matter their political views, are horrified, dismayed and sickened by the recent tragedies unfolding in Minneapolis. Compassion, empathy and concern for immigrants, all people, really, is not limited to members of one political party. We ALL care. Border control is necessary for our country to give safety to all Americans, immigrants included.

Lois Isaacson, Lakeland

Punishing local businesses

It seems rather ironic that people protesting the presence of ICE chose to punish businesses and restaurants by putting social pressure on them to close and to encourage boycotts of businesses that remain open. I believe that this is rather counterproductive in that the economic impact will be felt on local economies and the state of Minnesota and not on the federal government. It may make the people protesting feel better but the feds might be relishing that Minnesota seems to be shooting itself in the foot and that that protest will do little to influence the federal government.

Bill Filler, South Saint Paul

‘Asinine conclusions’

Our own Minnesota representative Tom Emmer said local and state leaders had “empowered criminals” and would not jump to “asinine conclusions” over the killing of Alex Pretti. I have a question for Rep. Emmer: When it comes to asinine conclusions what do you think of Greg Bovino’s assertion that Pretti was a domestic terrorist? Or Kristi Noem saying, “he brandished a gun and attacked agents”? Or Steven Miller stating “a would-be assassin tried to massacre law enforcement agents”? Can Mr. Emmer please define what he means by “asinine conclusions”?

Steve Larson, Minneapolis

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