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The Northern Bridge across the Dnipro River in Kyiv sustained damage to its road surface and overhead trolleybus cables in a Russian air attack on October 3, Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said. Emergency services responded to the scene and traffic from the east to the west bank was halted following the strike that formed part of repeated assaults on the capital’s infrastructure. No casualties were reported from the incident a Reuters dispatch noted.
In the preceding days Russian drones had struck the Southern Bridge multiple times forcing its closure and prompting restrictions on two additional crossings over the Dnipro River according to a separate Reuters assessment. The attacks triggered long traffic jams throughout the city as residents adapted to near-constant drone threats that have intensified in recent weeks the wire service reported. One resident identified only as Larysa told Reuters she remained uncertain about daily conditions saying commuters faced ongoing uncertainty.
Kyiv’s population stands at roughly three million with more than a third of residents living on the eastern or left bank of the Dnipro before the 2022 invasion yet most jobs and government offices located on the western side Reuters figures show. The bridge strikes have therefore disrupted hundreds of thousands of daily commuters who rely on the crossings for work and essential travel. Klitschko convened a city security council meeting prior to the latest incident describing the overall situation as very dramatic the mayor’s office conveyed through Reuters.
Russia has deployed dozens of jet-powered drones daily against Ukraine since the summer with these faster higher-flying models proving more difficult for Ukrainian air defences to intercept according to multiple Reuters dispatches. President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has stated that interception rates have fallen to just over half for the newer variants compared with older propeller-driven types. The Ukrainian leader has appealed for at least 300 Patriot missiles to bolster defences ahead of winter a request highlighted in Reuters coverage of the escalating air war.
Russia’s defence ministry announced via Telegram that its forces hit the Kyiv bridge along with a power station in the surrounding region the southwestern port of Izmail and a cargo vessel Reuters reported. The ministry framed the strikes as targeting military-related infrastructure though Ukrainian officials have countered that the assaults primarily affect civilian movement and daily life. Klitschko’s updates on the bridge damage aligned with this pattern of infrastructure focus the Reuters account indicated.
The Southern Bridge had been hit at least three times between October 1 and October 2 including an evening strike that further restricted metro and bus services across the river a Euromaidan Press summary drawn from official Ukrainian statements detailed. Preliminary inspections found no critical structural failure after the initial assaults yet repeated targeting has necessitated rerouting of several bus lines and lane restrictions on alternative bridges the local administration conveyed. Such tactics represent a shift as bridges in Kyiv had largely avoided direct strikes earlier in the conflict according to reporting compiled by the Associated Press.
