A Russian attack struck Kiev’s Northern Bridge on Saturday, the latest in a series of attacks on city infrastructure as Moscow escalates its attacks on the Ukrainian capital.
Kiev Mayor Vitaly Klitschko announced that two people were injured in Saturday’s attack, adding that the attack damaged the electricity supply system that powers roads and trolleybuses, halting some traffic across the river.
The incident comes a day after Kiev’s South Bridge, which serves ground transportation and the city’s metro network, was hit five times within 24 hours.
The attack has caused major travel disruptions since Thursday. Southern Bridge remains closed and traffic is restricted on Northern Bridge.
Ukrainian officials said the attack had effectively cut the capital in two.
Kiev is divided in half by the Dnipro River, with the right bank containing most of the city’s business centres, offices and government offices. The Left Bank is largely residential, home to at least 30% of the capital’s residents.
Russia’s Defense Ministry said it carried out the attack on Saturday, claiming the bridge was used for the movement of Ukrainian troops and military supplies. It said distribution centers in the Kyiv region were also targeted.
Timur Tkachenko, head of the Kyiv region’s military administration, announced on Saturday that a warehouse and production facility had been attacked, injuring four people.
Kiev’s National Defense Council held an emergency meeting on Friday.
In late August, Russia accelerated its operations in Kiev, taking advantage of the country’s lack of interceptors and limited defenses against jet-powered drones. “The situation in the capital is very dire. It is no longer possible to pretend that life can be as normal as in normal times,” Klitschko said on Saturday.
“The enemy is ravaging Kiev: infrastructure, critical infrastructure, logistics, housing, social facilities. The invaders have also resumed the destruction of the energy sector. We are doing everything in our power to keep the city functioning under constant destructive attacks, at a time when it is no longer about the usual comforts, but security and survival.”
Klitschko called on society to “come together as we did in February 2022.”
Ukraine’s air force said in a statement that Russian forces launched 157 attack and decoy drones during the night and early Saturday morning. Air defense forces shot down or neutralized 131 of these drones.
