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A Russian drone struck Kyiv’s North Bridge on Sunday morning damaging the roadway as emergency services responded to the scene according to the city’s mayor. Vitali Klitschko reported on Telegram that the impact occurred amid a drone alert and that debris from a downed object landed on a residential building roof. No casualties were reported from this latest strike which unfolded minutes after the German delegation pulled into the central railway station.[[1]](https://dpa-international.com/politics/urn:newsml:dpa.com:20090101:261004-930-786668)
The German chancellor arrived by special train accompanied by Economy Minister Katherina Reiche and ten executives from defence and energy firms despite prior Russian warnings against foreign travel to the capital. Merz said he had come because Ukraine needs full support in decisive weeks ahead and warned that if Russia is not stopped its war machine will eventually turn against Europe. He is scheduled to meet President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to discuss additional aid including air-defence drones capable of countering fast Russian jet-powered models and long-range weapons.[[2]](https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2026/oct/04/friedrich-merz-german-chancellor-ukraine-kyiv-russia-strikes-war-zelenskyy-putin-europe-latest-news-updates)
According to The New York Times Russian forces have targeted Kyiv bridges six times in the past three days prompting authorities to restrict traffic on five of six road crossings over the Dnipro River. The assaults have created major commuting disruptions for the capital’s three million residents many of whom live on the eastern bank but work on the western side housing most government and business offices. Mayor Klitschko stated that the enemy is destroying the city and that residents can no longer pretend to live as in peacetime.[[3]](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/10/03/world/europe/russia-ukraine-bridges-kyiv.html)
Reuters reported that Russia has pledged to continue systematic strikes on Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities in retaliation for Ukrainian attacks while urging foreign diplomats and nationals to depart the capital. The Russian defence ministry asserted that the bridges support military logistics and troop movements justifying the intensified focus on these targets. Separate strikes in the Sumy region injured five people when a glide bomb hit a residential building on the same day.[[4]](https://www.reuters.com/world/russia-pledges-continue-massive-strikes-kyiv-urges-foreign-diplomats-leave-city-2026-10-03/)
Germany stands as the largest bilateral supporter of Ukraine in the conflict now exceeding four and a half years with extensive military financial and humanitarian assistance provided since the full-scale invasion. Chancellor Merz intends to accelerate deliveries of intercept drones and other systems to help counter the growing threat from Russian jet-powered drones that have featured in recent assaults. Ukrainian forces have meanwhile conducted their own drone operations striking hundreds of targets inside Russia according to the Russian defence ministry.[[5]](https://www.welt.de/politik/ausland/article6ac20814c6253b9a73fa5c06/ukraine-krieg-russischer-luftangriff-waehrend-merz-besuch-drohne-trifft-wichtige-bruecke-in-kiew.html)
The bridge strike occurred roughly 20 minutes by road from the station where Merz disembarked underscoring the volatile conditions even as the chancellor delivered messages of solidarity. Klitschko had earlier flagged the initial drone alarm that morning before confirming the direct hit on the North Bridge roadway and overhead trolleybus cables. Traffic across the span was immediately suspended while rescue teams worked at the site.
