Russia has attacked bridges in Kyiv six times over three days, targeting infrastructure far from the front lines. Three drones hit a southern bridge on Thursday, the same bridge was struck twice on Friday, and another northern bridge was attacked Saturday morning. Though the structures remain standing, damage and ongoing threats have led authorities to restrict or halt traffic on five of Kyiv’s six road bridges.
This severely disrupts daily life in Ukraine’s largest city, where residents commute between the eastern bank—home to about a million people—and the western bank, housing most government and business centers. The attacks are part of a broader Russian campaign against Ukrainian infrastructure, including warehouses, trains, data centers, medical depots, steel factories, and the power grid, aiming to cripple the economy and break civilian morale. Mayor Vitali Klitschko warned that Kyiv can no longer live as it did in peacetime, noting the end of relative safety once seen in crowded cafes and salons.
Drones now patrol the city all day, triggering constant air raid alerts. On Monday, a drone strike set a university building ablaze in a previously unaffected neighborhood. While destroying the concrete bridges would require multiple hits, repeated attacks risk weakening their structure, potentially leading to indefinite closures.
Such a shutdown would create a logistical crisis, as few alternative crossings exist over the Dnipro River, which splits Ukraine north to south. The nearest southern bridge is about 90 miles away, requiring a 2.5-hour drive.
Source: New York Times Top Stories · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing