Key facts
- Russian airstrikes on Friday forced the closure of two bridges over the Dnipro River in Kyiv.
- A Russian drone strike on Friday killed one person and injured two others in Kyiv.
- Russian drones hit the Southern Bridge and a school on Thursday.
- Traffic across the Southern Bridge and part of the Paton Bridge was temporarily halted on Friday.
- Movement across the bridges was restored by midday Friday.
- Russia's defense ministry claimed its drones hit targets used for military purposes.
Russian airstrikes on Friday forced the closure of two bridges over the Dnipro River in Kyiv, disrupting transport and infrastructure as Moscow intensifies its attacks before winter. The strikes, which also hit a school on Thursday, are seen as part of an escalation of Russia's air campaign.
Long traffic jams formed on Friday morning, and video footage showed residents walking across the closed Southern Bridge. The Southern Bridge and part of the Paton Bridge, crucial arteries for residents, had their traffic temporarily halted. Movement across the bridges was restored by midday.
Mayor Vitali Klitschko convened a city security council meeting to assess risks, describing the situation as "very dramatic." Before Russia's 2022 invasion, over a third of Kyiv's 3 million residents lived on the east bank, where only 18% of jobs were located, necessitating daily commutes across the river.
Separately on Friday, a Russian drone strike killed one person and injured two others in Kyiv after a fire broke out in an apartment building. In Kharkiv, two people were killed and 28 wounded by a guided-bomb strike.
A senior Ukrainian official suggested the strikes on infrastructure, including data centers and power installations, followed an order by President Vladimir Putin last month to remove constraints on Russia's air campaign. Economic analyst Andriy Shevchishin noted that approximately 500,000 people commute daily between the east and west banks of Kyiv.
Russia's defense ministry claimed its drones hit a Kyiv bridge, a power station in the surrounding region, the port of Izmail, and a cargo vessel, stating all targets were used for military purposes. Ukraine's military reported that Ukrainian drones targeted the Lukoil refinery in Volgograd and another oil facility in the Samara region.