- Major bridges across the Dnipro struck for four consecutive days as Moscow intensifies attacks on Kyiv’s infrastructure, with Friedrich Merz arriving to air raid sirens and pledging more than €1.3 billion in German aid
KYIV 4 OCTOBER 2026 (BBC/Agencies) – Major bridges in Kyiv have been hit by Russian drone strikes for four consecutive days, as Moscow ramps up attacks on critical infrastructure in Ukraine’s capital, coinciding with a surprise visit to the city by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.
Two people were injured when the Pivnichnyi, or Northern, Bridge was struck on Sunday morning for the second day in a row, while the Pivdennyi, or Southern, Bridge, which serves ground transportation and the city’s subway system, was hit multiple times earlier in the week, including five times in less than 24 hours on Thursday and Friday. Russia’s military said it would be intensifying strikes on Kyiv and other Ukrainian regions, and said it had targeted the two bridges because they were being used to transfer Ukrainian troops. The Russian Defence Ministry later confirmed responsibility for the infrastructure strikes, citing military logistics as the target.
Video footage of Sunday’s strike showed cars moving on the Pivnichnyi Bridge as a drone crashed into it before exploding, creating a ball of fire, with a cloud of black smoke rising above the bridge. Other images circulating on social media showed a gaping hole in the middle of a traffic lane on the bridge. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said two people were injured in the latest attack and that the bridge’s roadway had been hit, while traffic between the city’s left and right banks was blocked as emergency services responded.
Kyiv’s eight bridges across the wide Dnipro River link the city’s western and eastern parts, and many of the capital’s estimated three million residents rely heavily on metro lines and trains to move across the city, with around 500,000 vehicles using the bridges each day. The two struck bridges remain standing, but damage and traffic restrictions have caused gridlock in parts of the capital at times. “To get from the left bank to the right one and back – it’s just hell,” Kyiv resident Roman told the BBC on Sunday. Repair teams are working to fix the damage, and officials say they are planning temporary pontoon bridges, ferry services and even a tunnel under the river to keep the city connected.
Klitschko also said a separate Russian drone strike had damaged a heating main, leaving a temporary lack of hot water in the north-eastern Desnyanskyi district. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russian drones had also attacked a warehouse in the north-eastern Sumy region on Sunday, killing one person, while six people were injured in the central city of Dnipro after a communications facility was struck. Ukraine’s Air Force said Russia had launched 135 drones overnight, including 52 jet-powered ones, of which 125 projectiles were shot down.
Merz arrived in Kyiv by train alongside Germany’s Minister for Economic Affairs and Energy, Katarina Reiche, despite a warning from Russia on Saturday that foreign visitors and dignitaries to the Ukrainian capital were not safe amid the escalating attacks. He met Zelensky, and the two laid wreaths for Ukrainian soldiers killed in the war. Writing on X, Merz said Ukraine was “facing decisive weeks” and that he had travelled to Kyiv with a message: “You can rely on us.” He added that Germany’s own security depended on the outcome of the war, saying Berlin was helping Ukraine “out of our own self-interest as well,” and pledged further support to strengthen Ukrainian air defences.
Zelensky said a new aid package worth more than €1.3 billion, or roughly $1.5 billion, had been agreed with Germany, describing it as weapons that would help immediately as well as support for Ukraine’s energy sector ahead of winter. The visit also coincided with negotiations over a bilateral defence and industrial partnership focused on joint drone and missile production, alongside a reported €1 billion in German military assistance and €350 million allocated for energy grid repairs.