MOSCOW/KYIV - Russia will not allow a new arms race to begin and believes that nuclear powers should maintain global peace and security, Sergei Shoigu, secretary of the Russian Federation Security Council, said Thursday.

Russia has taken note of statements by US officials suggesting the possibility of nuclear testing and of growing militarization efforts in Europe, Shoigu told RIA Novosti news agency.

"Russia will never allow a new arms race to erupt, no matter how much others may wish it," Shoigu told RIA Novosti, adding that Russia will continue to do everything possible to preserve strategic stability.

Russia and the United States, as the world's two largest nuclear powers, bear a special responsibility for maintaining global peace and security, he said, calling on Washington to fulfill its commitments under nuclear test ban obligations and engage constructively in dialogue to reduce nuclear risks.

Shoigu also voiced concern over the accelerating militarization of Europe and inflammatory rhetoric by some European officials, saying that such actions "reflect a loss of historical perspective" and serve only to inflame tensions.

ALSO READ: G7 foreign ministers urge Ukraine ceasefire, address regional tensions

"We are closely monitoring not only hostile statements but also concrete military planning and decision-making within NATO (the North Atlantic Treaty Organization) and the European Union," he said.

"Peace and security are not the privilege of one bloc. Those who possess the greatest destructive potential must act with the greatest sense of responsibility," he added.

Russia downs 157 Ukrainian drones

Meanwhile, Russian air defense systems have shot down 157 fixed-wing drones, a guided aerial bomb and a long-range Neptune missile, the Defense Ministry said.

Russia's Black Sea Fleet also destroyed four Ukrainian unmanned boats, the ministry added.

Since the start of the special military operation, Russia has destroyed 668 aircraft, 283 helicopters and 96,284 drones, according to the ministry.

In total, it said, 636 surface-to-air missile systems, 26,000 tanks and other armored combat vehicles, 1,611 multiple rocket launchers, 31,274 field artillery pieces and mortars, and 46,560 special military vehicles have been destroyed.

10 buildings in Kyiv on fire

In Kyiv, ten residential buildings were burnt after the Russian military attacked the Ukrainian capital with drones and ballistic missiles in the early hours of Friday, authorities said.

Damage was reported in eight districts due to the overnight strikes on the Ukrainian capital, the Kyiv city administration wrote on Telegram.

READ MORE: Kremlin says new sanctions complicate reviving Russia-US ties

Tymur Tkachenko, head of the Kyiv City Military Administration, reported that at least five people were injured in the eastern Dniprovskyi district.