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Russian Drones Hit Kyiv's Southern Bridge, Disrupting Traffic
Confirmed
In Short: Russian drones struck Kyiv's Southern Bridge, causing traffic disruptions and suspending metro services.
Russian drones hit Kyiv's Southern Bridge on Thursday, marking the first such attack since the start of the conflict, according to Arabnews (Belize) and Arabnews (Saudi Arabia). The twin strikes occurred on the Southern Bridge, a key transport artery connecting the east and west of the Ukrainian capital over the Dnipro river.
Footage shared on Telegram showed an explosion near one of the bridge's support sections and thick smoke rising into the air as road traffic and metro trains crossed, as reported by Arabnews (Belize) and Arabnews (Saudi Arabia). The bridge was temporarily shut but later reopened, according to AFP reporters.
Sergiy Beskrestnov, an adviser to President Volodymyr Zelensky, said Russia was now using drones designed to cut electricity pylons and steel bridge structures, as quoted by 24Newshd, Arabnews, Arabnews (Belize), and Arabnews (Saudi Arabia). He warned that the enemy was planning to attack critical high-voltage power transmission lines.
The Kyiv Post reported that the attacks began with two drone impacts near a bridge support Thursday morning, prompting authorities to suspend traffic while engineers inspected the crossing. Mayor Vitali Klitschko said the bridge support, barrier, road surface, and the protective concrete structure of the metro were damaged.
The Southern Bridge links Kyiv’s eastern and western banks across the Dnipro and carries both road traffic and the Green Line of the city’s metro. During the first attack, a metro train was actually crossing the bridge, according to the Kyiv Post.
All metro and automobile traffic is now suspended across the bridge, causing major delays across the city, as reported by BBC (United Kingdom). Restrictions are also in place on Kyiv's two other key bridges.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russian forces struck the bridge several times with drones during the night, according to Euromaidan Press (Ukraine). Zelenskyy warned that Russia's goal is to destroy bridges and disrupt critical infrastructure.
Klitschko said on Friday the metro can resume crossing the bridge during yellow-level air alerts after experts provide an assessment confirming its condition. Kyiv authorities reported major traffic jams on the city's main roads as the restrictions disrupted normal movement between the two sides of the capital.
Russian forces have repeatedly struck Kyiv’s Southern Bridge with drones since 1 October, disrupting one of the capital’s main routes between the left and right banks of the Dnipro, according to Euromaidan Press (Ukraine). The Southern Bridge is an important road and rail crossing over the Dnipro.
Several bridges in Kyiv have been closed as the result of new Russian drone attacks which killed one person in the city, the Ukrainian capital's authorities said Friday, as reported by DW (Germany). The Southern Bridge has been hit twice over the two days by Russian drone attacks.
Videos showed a large explosion on the Northern Bridge across the Dnipro River on Saturday morning, according to EA WorldView. Russian forces launched a strike on the Northern Bridge, marking the third straight day of attacks on Kyiv's bridges.
The attacks on Kyiv’s Southern Bridge mark a notable escalation against the capital’s transport infrastructure, disrupting metro and road traffic while raising questions over Moscow’s changing target priorities.
What this adds
The attacks on Kyiv's Southern Bridge are a significant escalation in Russia's drone campaign, targeting a critical transport artery for the first time since the conflict began.
Background
Russian drones struck Kyiv's Southern Bridge, disrupting traffic and metro services.
Russian drones hit Kyiv's Southern Bridge on Thursday, marking the first such attack since the start of the conflict, according to Arabnews (Belize) and Arabnews (Saudi Arabia).
What's confirmed
- Russian drones on Thursday hit a major bridge in Kyiv for the first time since the start of the conflict with Ukraine, as Moscow stepped up its attacks on key infrastructure ahead of winter.
- Footage shared on Telegram showed an explosion near one of the bridge's support sections and thick smoke rising into the air as road traffic and metro trains crossed.
- Sergiy Beskrestnov, an adviser to President Volodymyr Zelensky, said Russia was now using drones designed to cut electricity pylons and steel bridge structures.
- "I believe that the enemy is planning to attack critical high-voltage power transmission lines," he wrote on Telegram on Wednesday, a day before the bridge attack.
- The twin strikes happened on the Southern Bridge -- a transport artery connecting the east and west of the Ukrainian capital over the Dnipro river.
- The bridge was temporarily shut but later reopened, AFP reporters saw.
- No changes in radiation levels have been recorded.
- He was speaking after Kyiv's defence council held a crisis meeting, following new Russian strikes on a key bridge that caused traffic chaos.
- The mayor was speaking just hours after Kyiv's key Pivdennyi (Southern) bridge was hit in an overnight Russian drone attack.
- All metro and automobile traffic is now suspended across Kyiv's Pivdennyi bridge Intensified Russian drone and missile strikes are "tearing Kyiv apart", the mayor of Ukraine's capital has warned.
- The bridge is one of the main transport arteries across the Dnipro River dividing western and eastern parts of Kyiv.
- All metro and automobile traffic is now suspended across the bridge, causing major delays across the city.
What's still developing
- Follow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official.