Kyiv: A Russian drone strike has hit a second major bridge in Kyiv, injuring two people and disrupting traffic as Moscow intensifies attacks on critical infrastructure across the Ukrainian capital.
The Pivnichnyi, or Northern, Bridge was struck, according to Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko. The attack damaged the road surface and overhead trolleybus wires, forcing authorities to block traffic from the left bank to the right bank of the Dnipro River and triggering major congestion.
The strike came just days after Russia repeatedly targeted Kyiv’s Pivdennyi, or Southern, Bridge, raising concerns about how continued attacks could affect the capital’s transport network. Klitschko warned that the latest strikes were creating an increasingly serious situation for the city.
The Russians continue to turn our infrastructure and everything that supports ordinary life into their targets. This morning in Kyiv, a “shahed” struck the Pivnichnyi Bridge. Overnight, residential buildings, railways, and energy infrastructure in many regions came under Russian attack. In Chornomorsk, a drone struck a vessel.
Importantly, our warriors always find a way to justly respond to these attacks and take the war back to where it came from. Over the past 24 hours, our long-range capabilities effectively struck targets serving the aggressor’s war machine. Our sanctions reached the Samara region, as well as the positions of occupiers operating Iskander missile systems in the Bryansk region. There are new results in the Black Sea.
I thank all the units involved for their precision and systematic work. Russia must stop its absurd escalation.
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) October 3, 2026
Russia claimed its drones had targeted the two bridges because they are used to move Ukrainian troops and military cargo. Moscow also renewed its call for foreign nationals, including diplomats, to leave Kyiv. The Pivnichnyi and Pivdennyi bridges are key crossings over the Dnipro River, connecting western and eastern Kyiv. Neither bridge had previously been targeted in the current wave of attacks.
The strikes have disrupted road, rail and trolleybus connections across the river, while security restrictions linked to the continuing drone threat have placed additional pressure on other routes. Kyiv experienced severe traffic congestion, although disruption was reported to be less extensive.
With a population of around three million, Kyiv relies heavily on its metro system for daily travel across the city. Officials and residents are increasingly concerned that sustained attacks on the bridges could eventually leave the capital effectively divided.
Experts have remarked that Russian drones are unlikely to destroy the bridges, but repeated strikes could force prolonged closures and potentially weaken their structures. More powerful weapons could pose a greater risk, particularly as some bridges are reportedly already in poor condition after years of carrying traffic beyond their original design capacity.
Ukrainian lawmakers have also reportedly discussed contingency plans in case key bridges become unusable. Options include using ferries and temporary pontoon bridges to maintain connections between the two sides of the city.
The attacks are part of a wider escalation in strikes against Ukraine’s critical infrastructure. Russian forces have repeatedly targeted Ukrainian energy facilities since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022, with attacks typically intensifying during the winter months.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has described the latest strikes on Ukrainian economic and infrastructure targets as a response to Ukrainian attacks on Russian energy facilities, including oil refineries and ships in the Black Sea. Ukraine, however, maintains that its attacks on Russian oil infrastructure are aimed at disrupting a key source of funding for Moscow’s war effort.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has accused Russia of seeking to destroy essential infrastructure, including bridges, hospitals, schools, data centres and communications networks, in an effort to force civilians to leave Ukrainian cities.
Other developments
Elsewhere in Ukraine, a sailor aboard a Liberia-flagged civilian vessel was killed, and three other crew members were injured in a Russian attack on a port in the Odesa region. At least 12 people were also injured in overnight Russian strikes across the Dnipropetrovsk, Kharkiv and Kyiv regions, according to local officials.
In territory occupied by Russia, two people were killed and three others injured in a Ukrainian drone attack in the eastern Luhansk region, according to the Moscow-installed regional administration. Meanwhile, Moldova summoned Russia’s ambassador after reporting that five Russian drones and missiles had crossed its territory and exploded near several localities across four districts. No injuries were reported.
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