Russian drone strikes hit Kyiv's Northern Bridge; five of six shut
In short
Russian drone strikes hit Kyiv's Pivnichnyi (Northern) Bridge over the Dnipro River on Saturday morning, injuring two people and damaging the road surface and overhead trolley wires, Mayor Vitaliy Klitschko said. Kyiv authorities closed five of the city's six bridges after the Pivdennyi (Southern) Bridge was hit repeatedly earlier in the week, and Russia's Defence Ministry said the bridges serve military logistics and pledged to intensify strikes on major Ukrainian cities. President Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukraine would step up strikes on Russian oil refineries in retaliation.
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Russian drone strikes hit Kyiv's Pivnichnyi (Northern) Bridge on Saturday morning, injuring two people and damaging the road surface and overhead trolley wires, Mayor Vitaliy Klitschko said, according to UPI and CNBC. The Pivdennyi (Southern) Bridge had been hit multiple times earlier in the week. Both bridges cross the Dnipro River and connect the eastern and western parts of the city. [ 2 , 4 ]
The damage led Kyiv authorities to shut five of the city's six bridges, UPI reported. UPI said the drone attacks are unlikely to bring the bridges down but can damage them and make them unsafe. Bloomberg reported that overnight strikes also hit a logistics centre near the capital, in what it described as the latest in a series of drone attacks on Ukraine's civil infrastructure. [ 1 , 2 ]
Russia's Defence Ministry confirmed the Northern Bridge strike in a Telegram update on Sunday, saying the bridge “supports the transfer of troops and the logistics of military cargo,” CNBC reported. According to UPI, Russia said it hit two bridges that Ukraine uses to move troops and military cargo and urged foreigners, including diplomatic staff, to leave Kyiv. [ 2 , 4 ]
The ministry also pledged to further intensify military attacks on Kyiv and other major Ukrainian cities, CNBC reported. It said Russian forces had ramped up attacks on the capital in recent weeks, targeting data centres, telecommunications facilities and energy infrastructure to disrupt daily life and force power cuts ahead of winter. [ 4 ]
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz arrived in Kyiv shortly before Saturday's strike and pledged 1 billion euros ($1.1 billion) in military aid, CNBC reported. [ 4 ]
President Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukraine would double down on attacking Russian oil refineries in retaliation for a policy of airstrikes meant to force people to abandon Kyiv and other cities, in comments to Reuters published Saturday; he said Russian civilians would not be targeted, CNBC reported. In a post on X cited by UPI, Zelensky said overnight attacks hit residential buildings, railways and energy infrastructure in many regions, and that a drone struck a vessel in Chornomorsk. He said Ukraine's long-range capabilities struck targets serving the aggressor's war machine over the past 24 hours, citing the Samara region and Iskander missile system positions in the Bryansk region. [ 2 , 4 ]
Bloomberg reported that a major Kyiv bridge was struck for a second day in a row. Klitschko said on Telegram: “The enemy is destroying Kyiv.” [ 2 , 3 ]
Why it matters
The strikes on bridges and other infrastructure threaten daily life in Kyiv ahead of winter, with most crossings over the Dnipro closed. Russia's stated intent to intensify attacks on major Ukrainian cities, alongside Ukraine's vow to hit Russian refineries, points to further escalation rather than de-escalation. The strikes coincided with a fresh German military aid pledge and, as CNBC's headline noted, a new U.S. push for peace talks.
Key facts
- A Russian drone struck Kyiv's Pivnichnyi (Northern) Bridge on Saturday morning, injuring two people and damaging the road surface and overhead trolley wires, Mayor Vitaliy Klitschko said. [ 2 , 4 ]
- The Pivdennyi (Southern) Bridge was hit multiple times earlier in the week. [ 2 , 4 ]
- Kyiv authorities closed five of the city's six bridges over the Dnipro following the damage, UPI reported. [ 2 ]
- Russia's Defence Ministry said the Northern Bridge supports the transfer of Ukrainian troops and military cargo, and Russia urged foreigners, including diplomatic staff, to leave Kyiv. [ 2 , 4 ]
- Russia's Defence Ministry pledged to further intensify military attacks on Kyiv and other major Ukrainian cities. [ 4 ]
- German Chancellor Friedrich Merz arrived in Kyiv shortly before Saturday's strike and pledged 1 billion euros ($1.1 billion) in military aid. [ 4 ]
- Zelensky said Ukraine would double down on attacking Russian oil refineries, in comments to Reuters published Saturday, and that Russian civilians would not be targeted. [ 4 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- A Russian drone struck Kyiv's Pivnichnyi (Northern) Bridge on Saturday morning, injuring two people and damaging the road surface and trolley wires, according to Mayor Vitaliy Klitschko. [ 2 , 4 ]
- Russia's Defence Ministry said the Northern Bridge supports the transfer of troops and the logistics of military cargo. [ 2 , 4 ]
- Bridges in Kyiv have been struck on more than one occasion in recent days. [ 2 , 3 , 4 ]
Still unclear
- Which Kyiv bridge was hit in the first reported overnight strike. Bloomberg's first report refers only to “a major bridge” in Kyiv without naming it, while UPI and CNBC name the Northern Bridge in the Saturday strike and the Southern Bridge earlier in the week.
- How badly Kyiv's bridges are damaged and when the five closed crossings will reopen. Documents report closures and damage to the road surface and trolley wires but give no assessment of structural damage or reopening times.
- Whether the drone strikes can disable the bridges. UPI reported the attacks are not likely to take the bridges down but can damage them and make them unsafe; no other document assesses this.
- Details of the U.S. push for peace talks. It appears only in CNBC's headline; the article gives no further detail.
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- Bloomberg reports that Russian forces hit a major bridge in Kyiv over the Dnipro and a logistics centre near the capital overnight. [ 1 ]
- UPI reports that a Saturday morning drone hit on the Pivnichnyi (Northern) Bridge injured two people and damaged the road and trolley wires, that five of Kyiv's six bridges are shut and that Russia urged foreigners to leave the capital. [ 2 ]
- Bloomberg reports a major Kyiv bridge was struck for a second day in a row. [ 3 ]
- CNBC reports Russia's Defence Ministry pledged to intensify attacks on Kyiv and other major cities and confirmed the Northern Bridge strike, and that Zelensky told Reuters Ukraine would strike Russian oil refineries in retaliation. [ 4 ]