A Russian drone struck Kyiv’s Northern Bridge on Sunday, triggering a huge fireball on the key crossing over the Dnipro River as vehicles continued to travel across the bridge.
Two people were injured in the strike, Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said, according to CNN.
The attack came as German Chancellor Friedrich Merz arrived in Kyiv amid air raid sirens, explosions and the activation of air defense systems. Merz travelled to the Ukrainian capital alongside German Minister for Economic Affairs and Energy Katarina Reiche to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as Russian attacks on the city intensified.
“Ukraine needs all our support in the coming weeks,” Merz said, warning that if Russia is not stopped, its war machine could eventually turn against Europe.
The Northern Bridge was reportedly targeted for the second consecutive day. The latest strike followed attacks on Kyiv’s Southern Bridge, which carries both road traffic and the city’s subway system and was struck five times in less than 24 hours.
The repeated attacks have raised concerns over the security of Kyiv’s critical transport links. Ukrainian officials have warned that continued strikes on bridges could disrupt movement across the Dnipro River and potentially isolate parts of the capital. Kyiv is divided by the river, with government institutions and many businesses concentrated on the right bank and predominantly residential neighbourhoods on the left bank.
In response to the growing threat, Ukraine’s infrastructure minister said Sunday that Kyiv plans to develop several alternative crossings over the Dnipro if attacks on the city’s bridges continue.
The latest strikes came after Zelenskyy said Ukraine would intensify attacks on Russian oil refineries in response to Moscow’s strikes on Ukrainian energy infrastructure.
