Kyiv plans to build pontoon crossings across the Dnipro River following Russian drone strikes on vital bridges, Ukrainian media reported on Oct. 3. The infrastructure minister said the crossings could take up to three months to complete and would help maintain traffic flow in the capital, which has seen significant restrictions after the attacks.
The attacks on Kyiv's bridges and the subsequent construction of pontoon crossings highlight the ongoing disruption to civilian infrastructure in Ukraine due to Russian strikes, impacting daily life and economic activity in the capital.
Following multiple Russian drone strikes on Kyiv's Southern and Northern bridges over the Dnipro River between Oct. 1 and Oct. 3, the capital is planning to construct pontoon crossings to alleviate traffic restrictions. Ukraine's Reconstruction, Infrastructure, and Transport Minister, Mykola Kalashnyk, told Suspilny news that the urgent solutions, including a dam and pontoon crossing, are being built quickly and that a coordination meeting with the president has been held.
Kalashnyk indicated that the pontoon crossings could take up to three months to complete and are intended to maintain the daily throughput of approximately 600,000 cars crossing the river banks. Plans for constructing underground tunnels beneath the Dnipro are also under consideration, though they are estimated to cost tens of billions of hryvnias.
Before alternative crossings are built, Kalashnyk emphasized the priority of protecting existing bridges from further attacks. This involves preventing strikes, providing protection, and then rapid recovery, followed by decisions on alternative reserve crossings. Meanwhile, President Volodymyr Zelensky said in an interview with the Financial Times published on Oct. 2 that Ukraine aims to produce up to 400 interceptor drones by the end of October to counter Russia's use of jet-powered attack drones.
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