Russian Strikes Cripple Kyiv Traffic

Russian drone strikes have crippled traffic in Kyiv after authorities closed a major bridge and restricted access to another.

Authorities completely closed the Southern Bridge in both directions on Friday. The Paton Bridge, further north, was also restricted to one direction. The bridges are among eight crossings linking eastern and western Kyiv across the Dnipro River.

AFP reporters saw long queues of cars and buses on major roads as commuters searched for alternative routes. Russian drones first struck the Southern Bridge on Thursday. The attack targeted parts of the bridge’s supporting structure.

Authorities temporarily closed the bridge to assess the damage before reopening it. However, further drone strikes hit the crossing overnight and early Friday.

Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said one strike damaged a bridge pier, the road surface and a concrete barrier protecting a metro line. The attacks later forced authorities to close the bridge again. The Paton Bridge remained partly open, with no reports of it being hit. The repeated attacks have raised concerns over Kyiv’s transport network.

The Southern Bridge carries road traffic and also supports part of the city’s metro network. Kyiv has faced increasingly frequent Russian drone and missile attacks in recent months. The strikes have disrupted transport, power supplies, water services and other parts of daily life.

The latest attacks also killed one person and wounded at least two others. The attacks hit a 25-storey residential building in southeast Kyiv. The victim was found after firefighters extinguished a fire caused by the blast.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has urged countries to tighten sanctions against Russia. He said the measures should target foreign components used to produce Russia’s newer jet-powered drones.

Zelensky said the drones are faster and harder to intercept than earlier models.

“Every Russian drone can actually be stopped right at the production line. What is needed is the political will of these countries,” he wrote on social media.

He added, “If the Kremlin has chosen more strikes, sanctions must work and must be strengthened.”

Zelensky has also continued to request more military support from Ukraine’s Western allies. He has particularly called for more US-made Patriot missile interceptors.

The latest attacks came after Russian drones hit the Southern Bridge for the first time since the full-scale invasion began. AFP reported that the initial strikes on Thursday caused an explosion near one of the bridge’s support sections before the crossing reopened.

Russia has increasingly used faster jet-powered drones in attacks on Ukraine. Ukrainian officials say the newer weapons are more difficult to intercept and have increasingly targeted key infrastructure.

On Thursday, Zelensky also said Ukraine had used its FP-7 tactical ballistic missile in combat for the first time. He did not disclose where it was used or what target it struck.