Russia strikes another major bridge in Kyiv as attacks on Ukrainian capital escalate
Kyiv’s River Crossings Come Under Renewed Russian Attack
Qwenews.com – Kyiv faced another major blow to its transport network on Saturday when a Russian strike damaged the Northern Bridge, deepening disruption after repeated attacks on a second key crossing over the Dnipro River.
Two people were injured in the latest attack, Mayor Vitaliy Klitschko said. The strike damaged part of the roadway and affected the electricity system used by trolleybuses. Authorities also limited some movement across the river, adding to the difficulties faced by residents trying to travel between the two sides of the capital.
The Northern Bridge attack followed a heavy assault on the Southern Bridge the previous day. That bridge, which carries road traffic and serves Kyiv’s subway network, was struck five times in under 24 hours. It remains closed, while traffic on the Northern Bridge has been restricted.
The damage has created serious travel complications since Thursday and highlighted the importance of the city’s crossings. The Dnipro divides Kyiv geographically and functionally: the right bank contains much of the capital’s government, office and business activity, while the left bank is largely residential and is home to at least 30% of Kyiv’s population.
With the Southern Bridge unavailable and the Northern Bridge operating under restrictions, the attacks are effectively separating parts of the city that depend on each other for daily work, commuting and public services. The pressure extends beyond private vehicles because the bridges are also central to public transit and wider logistical movement.
Infrastructure and logistics targeted
Russia’s Ministry of Defense said Saturday’s strike was aimed at a bridge it described as being used to transport Ukrainian troops and military supplies. The ministry also said it had targeted a logistics center in the wider Kyiv region.
Tymur Tkachenko, who heads the Kyiv regional military administration, said a warehouse and production facility had been hit. Four people were injured there.
The bridge attacks come during a period of intensified Russian pressure on Kyiv, with the campaign accelerating in late August. Ukrainian authorities have pointed to a shortage of interceptors and limited options for countering jet-powered drones, factors that have made the capital more vulnerable to sustained aerial attacks.
Ukraine’s Air Force said Russia launched 157 attack and decoy drones overnight and into the early hours of Saturday. Air defenses destroyed or neutralized 131 of them, but the scale of the barrage illustrates the continuing challenge for the country’s defensive forces.
Decoy drones can complicate air-defense operations by increasing the number of airborne targets that must be tracked and assessed. When attacks combine strike drones with decoys, defenders face pressure not only to intercept incoming threats but also to determine which objects pose the greatest immediate risk.
Emergency response in the capital
Kyiv’s defense council convened an emergency meeting on Friday as the damage to crossings and other infrastructure mounted. The city is trying to maintain essential services while adapting transport routes and responding to repeated strikes on facilities that support everyday life.
Klitschko described the situation in stark terms and urged residents to recognize the seriousness of the threat.
The capital is in a very dire situation. And it is no longer possible to pretend that we can live as we did in peacetime.
He said Russia was attacking a broad range of civilian systems and facilities, including critical infrastructure, logistics, homes and social institutions. He also warned that the energy sector had again become a target.
The enemy is laying waste to Kyiv. Infrastructure, critical infrastructure, logistics, housing, social facilities. The aggressor has also resumed its destruction of the energy sector. We are doing everything in our power to keep the city functioning under constant destructive attacks, when it is no longer a question of our usual comforts, but of safety and survival.
His remarks reflected the wider impact of attacks on infrastructure. Damage to a bridge can affect far more than a single route: it can slow emergency access, disrupt public transportation, complicate deliveries and make it harder for residents to reach workplaces, schools, medical facilities and family members on the opposite bank of the river.
The Northern and Southern bridges are especially significant because Kyiv’s river geography makes crossings a limited and vital part of the city’s transport system. Any prolonged closure or restriction can redirect large volumes of traffic to other routes, increasing pressure on the remainder of the network.
Klitschko called on the public to show the same unity seen during the opening phase of Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022.
Unite, as we did in February 2022.
For Kyiv residents, the immediate concern is how long transport disruptions will last and whether further strikes will hit essential systems. The emergency response now involves not only repairing physical damage but also preserving the city’s ability to function while aerial attacks continue.
Saturday’s strike on the Northern Bridge underscored a widening danger for the Ukrainian capital: attacks on transport links can rapidly affect daily life across the city, particularly when they coincide with pressure on energy, logistics and public infrastructure. With one major bridge closed and another under restrictions, Kyiv is confronting an increasingly difficult effort to keep its two riverbanks connected.
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