Russia hits second major bridge in Ukraine's capital Kyiv

A Russian drone strike on Saturday morning hit Kyiv’s Pivnichnyi (Northern) Bridge, injuring two people, damaging the road surface and overhead trolleybus wires and halting traffic across the Dnipro River, mayor Vitaliy Klitschko said. The attack follows a series of strikes on the city’s other main crossing, the Pivdennyi (Southern) Bridge, which was hit multiple times earlier in the week. Moscow claims its drones targeted the two bridges because they are used to move Ukrainian troops and military cargo, while urging foreign nationals, including diplomats, to leave the capital. The combined assaults have severed road, rail and trolleybus links across the wide river, creating significant congestion and prompting emergency services to respond.

The bridge attacks are part of a broader Russian campaign against critical Ukrainian infrastructure, a tactic Kyiv officials warn could effectively split the city in two. Experts note that while drones are unlikely to bring the structures down outright, repeated hits could force closures, weaken the bridges’ already strained condition and eventually render them unusable, especially since they were not designed for the heavy traffic they now bear. In response, Ukrainian lawmakers have discussed contingency plans such as deploying ferries or temporary pontoon bridges to maintain connectivity if the permanent spans become inoperable. The mayor described the situation as “very dramatic,” emphasizing that the ongoing drone threat forces traffic rerouting and has already caused gridlock for a second consecutive day.

President Volodymyr Zelensky condemned the strikes, saying Russian President Vladimir Putin has declared that “there are no rules now” in targeting Ukrainian infrastructure, including bridges, data centres, hospitals and schools, with the aim of forcing civilians to flee. Putin, speaking at the Valdai forum, framed the attacks as retaliation for Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil refineries and Black Sea shipping, claiming they have cost Russia about 1 % of its GDP. The escalation follows a pattern of intensified Russian attacks on energy and transport assets since the full‑scale invasion began in February 2022, underscoring the widening scope of the conflict and its impact on Kyiv’s three‑million residents who rely heavily on the disrupted crossings for daily travel.

⚡ Effects Interpreter