Key facts
- Russia struck Kyiv's Northern Bridge with a drone on Oct. 4, 2026, the fourth consecutive day targeting bridges.
- The strike damaged the bridge's roadway and a heating main, cutting hot water to parts of the Desnianskyi district.
- Russia has used over 1,900 attack drones, 1,700 aerial bombs, and 25 missiles against Ukraine this week.
- An aviation expert suggested bridge strikes aim to disrupt traffic and exert psychological pressure, not destroy the infrastructure.
- Kyiv's City Military Administration imposed new restrictions on bridge movement during air raid alerts.
Russia struck the roadway of Kyiv’s Northern Bridge across the Dnipro River with a drone on the morning of Oct. 4, 2026, marking the fourth consecutive day that Russian forces targeted bridges across the river in the capital. The attack also damaged a heating main, temporarily cutting hot water to parts of Kyiv's Desnianskyi district, according to Mayor Vitali Klitschko. President Volodymyr Zelensky stated that Russia has used more than 1,900 attack drones, 1,700 aerial bombs, and 25 missiles against Ukraine this week, with over 800 of the drones being jet-powered.
Kostiantyn Kryvolap, an aviation expert and former Antonov test engineer, told the Kyiv Independent that destroying bridges like the Northern or Southern bridges, which are main transport arteries carrying tens of thousands of residents daily, is unlikely to be the primary objective due to the limited impact of a 50-kilogram explosive charge. Instead, Kryvolap suggested the strikes may be intended to disrupt traffic and logistics and exert psychological pressure on Kyiv residents.
The repeated strikes have prompted preparations for pontoon crossings and new restrictions on movement across Kyiv's bridges during air raid alerts, announced by the Kyiv City Military Administration.