LILLEHAMMER, Norway (AP) — Johannes Lochner keeps finding ways to beat Francesco Friedrich.
The German stars were first and second again in a World Cup bobsled race on Saturday, with Lochner driving to the win in a four-man event at Lillehammer, Norway, and Friedrich losing some time in the second and final run to settle for the silver.
It was the ninth consecutive World Cup race, going back to last season and including two-man events, in which Lochner and Friedrich finished first and second in some order.
Lochner now has beaten Friedrich — generally considered the best driver ever, someone who swept the two- and four-man golds at each of the last two Olympics, as well as each of the last two world championships — in four of five World Cup races this season and seven out of the last eight going back to last season.
Adam Ammour drove to third in the four-man race, giving Germany a sweep of the medals in that event. Kris Horn drove to 15th place for the top American finish.
In the women's monobob race earlier Saturday, Bree Walker of Australia got her fourth career World Cup win — and her third in Lillehammer. She had the best time in both heats to hold off Katrin Beierl of Austria, who finished second for her first World Cup monobob medal, and Laura Nolte of Germany was third.
Kaillie Humphries Armbruster had the top U.S. finish, placing seventh.
Bobsled: World Cup weekend in Lillehammer continues Sunday.
Skeleton: World Cup sliding continues Dec. 19 in Sigulda, Latvia.
Luge: World Cup sliding in Park City, Utah, on Saturday night, then Dec. 19 in Lake Placid, New York.
AP Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics
Johannes Lochner, Thorsten Margis, Joern Wenzel and Georg Fleischhauer, of Germany, compete in the 4-man bobsleigh race at the Bobsleigh World Cup in Innsbruck, Austria, Sunday, Nov. 30, 2025. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)
A Ukrainian drone attack in southwestern Russia killed two people and parts of Ukraine went without power following Russian assaults on energy infrastructure, authorities said Saturday, as U.S.-led peace talks on ending the war press on.
The drone attack damaged a residential building and several windows were also blown out at a kindergarten and clinic, said Saratov regional Gov. Roman Busargin. Russia’s Defense Ministry said it had shot down 41 Ukrainian drones over Russian territory overnight.
In Ukraine, Russia launched overnight drone and missile strikes on five Ukrainian regions, targeting energy and port infrastructure. Ukrainian Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said that over a million people were without electricity.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russia had sent over 450 drones and 30 missiles into Ukraine overnight.
An attack on the Black Sea city of Odesa caused grain silos to catch fire at the port, Ukrainian deputy prime minister and reconstruction minister Oleksiy Kuleba said. Two people were wounded in attacks on the wider Odesa region, according to regional head Oleh Kiper.
Kyiv and its Western allies say Russia is trying to cripple the Ukrainian power grid and deny civilians access to heat, light and running water for a fourth consecutive winter, in what Ukrainian officials call “weaponizing” the cold.
On the front lines, Ukrainian forces said Saturday that the northern part of the critical city of Pokrovsk was under Ukrainian control, despite Russia's claims earlier this month that it had taken full control of the city. The Associated Press was not able to independently verify the claims.
The latest round of attacks came after Kremlin adviser Yuri Ushakov said Friday that Russian police and national guard will stay on in eastern Ukraine’s Donbas and oversee the industry-rich region, even if a peace settlement ends Russia’s nearly four-year war in Ukraine. It underscores Moscow’s ambition to maintain its presence in Donbas postwar. Ukraine is likely to reject such a stance as U.S.-led negotiations drag on.
Moscow will give its blessing to a ceasefire only after Ukraine’s forces have withdrawn from the front line, Ushakov said in comments published in Russian business daily Kommersant.
Meanwhile, Germany is set to host Zelenskyy on Monday for talks as peace efforts gain momentum and European leaders seek to steer negotiations.
For months, American negotiators have tried to navigate the demands of each side as U.S. President Donald Trump presses for a swift end to Russia’s war while growing increasingly exasperated by delays. The search for possible compromises has run into a major obstacle over who keeps Ukrainian territory currently occupied by Russian forces.
In other developments, around 480 people were evacuated on Saturday from a train traveling between the Polish city of Przemysl and Kyiv after police received a call concerning a threat on the train, Karolina Kowalik, a spokesperson for the Przemysl police, told The Associated Press. Nobody was hurt and she didn't elaborate on the threat.
Polish authorities are on high alert since multiple attempts to disrupt trains on the line linking Warsaw to the Ukrainian border, including the use of explosives in November, with Polish authorities saying they have evidence Russia was behind it.
Follow AP’s coverage of the war in Ukraine at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine
In this photo provided by Ukraine's 65th Mechanized Brigade press service, recruits attend drills at a training ground in the Zaporizhzhia region, Ukraine, Friday, Dec. 12, 2025. (Andriy Andriyenko/Ukraine's 65th Mechanized Brigade via AP)
In this photo provided by Ukraine's 65th Mechanized Brigade press service, recruits rest after drills at a training ground in the Zaporizhzhia region, Ukraine, Friday, Dec. 12, 2025. (Andriy Andriyenko/Ukraine's 65th Mechanized Brigade via AP)
In this photo provided by Ukraine's 65th Mechanized Brigade press service, recruits rest after drills at a training ground in the Zaporizhzhia region, Ukraine, Friday, Dec. 12, 2025. (Andriy Andriyenko/Ukraine's 65th Mechanized Brigade via AP)
In this photo provided by Ukraine's 65th Mechanized Brigade press service, recruits attend drills at a training ground in the Zaporizhzhia region, Ukraine, Friday, Dec. 12, 2025. (Andriy Andriyenko/Ukraine's 65th Mechanized Brigade via AP)
In this grab from a video provided by the Press Service Of The President Of Ukraine on Friday, Dec 12, 2025, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy records a video at the road entering of Kupiansk, Ukraine. (Press Service Of The President Of Ukraine via AP)
