Russian Drone Strikes Hit Kyiv Bridges for Fourth Straight Day as German Chancellor Merz Makes Surprise Wartime Visit

For the fourth consecutive day, Russian drone attacks have struck major bridges in Kyiv, part of what appears to be a deliberate campaign to cripple critical infrastructure in the Ukrainian capital. On Sunday morning, two people were injured when the Pivnichnyi, or Northern, Bridge was hit for the second day in a row, according to Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko. The Pivdennyi, or Southern, Bridge had already been struck multiple times earlier in the week, marking an intensifying pattern of assaults on the city's river crossings.

Video footage verified by the BBC showed the moment of Sunday's strike on the Pivnichnyi Bridge, capturing cars moving along the roadway as a drone plunged into the structure and exploded, sending up a ball of fire and a plume of black smoke. Social media images later revealed a gaping hole torn through the middle of one of the bridge's traffic lanes. The attacks have left both bridges still standing, but the damage and the resulting restrictions on vehicle and public transport have intermittently caused gridlock across parts of the capital, disrupting daily life for hundreds of thousands of residents.

The Pivnichnyi and Pivdennyi bridges are two of the eight crossings that span the wide Dnipro River, linking Kyiv's western right bank with its eastern left bank. With an estimated three million residents, the capital depends heavily on its metro lines, trains, and bridges to move people and goods across the river. Approximately 500,000 vehicles use the bridges every day, making them indispensable arteries for commuters, emergency services, and supply chains alike. The loss of full access to even a portion of that capacity has had immediate knock-on effects.

"To get from the left bank to the right one and back — it's just hell," Kyiv resident Roman told the BBC on Sunday, offering a glimpse into the frustration and disruption that ordinary citizens are enduring. Large numbers of commuters cross the river each day, particularly on weekdays, and the repeated strikes have forced many to seek alternative routes or endure lengthy delays. 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 Kyiv connected and functioning.

Russia's military has said it would intensify strikes on Kyiv and other Ukrainian regions, and it earlier claimed to have hit the two bridges because they were being used to transfer Ukrainian troops. The strikes come as Moscow ramps up attacks on critical infrastructure across the capital and beyond, in what analysts describe as a strategy aimed at eroding civilian morale and degrading Ukraine's logistical capacity ahead of the winter months. The targeting of bridges, heating mains, and communications facilities reflects a broader campaign against the systems that sustain urban life.

Mayor Klitschko also reported that a separate Russian drone strike had damaged a heating main in the capital, resulting in a temporary loss of hot water in the north-eastern Desnyanskyi district. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Sunday morning that Russian drones had additionally attacked a warehouse in the north-eastern Sumy region, killing one person. In the central city of Dnipro, six people were injured after a communications facility was struck, he added, underscoring the nationwide scope of the overnight assaults.

Ukraine's Air Force reported that Russia had launched 135 drones overnight, including 52 jet-powered models, and that 125 of the projectiles had been shot down. The figures illustrate both the scale of the assault and the effectiveness of Ukraine's air defenses, though the drones that evaded interception still managed to inflict significant damage. The use of jet-powered drones, which travel faster and are harder to intercept than propeller-driven models, marks a further evolution in Russia's tactics and places additional strain on Ukraine's defensive resources.

The latest wave of attacks coincided with a surprise visit to Kyiv by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who arrived in the capital on Sunday in a show of solidarity with Ukraine against Russia's continuing full-scale invasion. Merz met with Zelensky, and the two leaders laid wreaths at a memorial honoring Ukrainian soldiers who have been killed in the war. Their visit also included a stop at the main building of Ukraine's National Academy of Sciences, which had been badly damaged in a Russian drone strike earlier in the week — an attack that killed two people.

As emergency services responded to the morning's strikes, air alert sirens were heard across Kyiv while Merz was visiting the damaged Academy of Sciences building, a stark reminder that the war continues unabated even during high-level diplomatic engagements. Merz reaffirmed Germany's support for Ukraine in a message posted on X, writing: "Ukraine is facing decisive weeks. That is why I travelled to Kyiv today with the message: You can rely on us." He added that Germany's own security depends on the outcome of the war, stating, "That is why we are helping out of our own self-interest as well."

Zelensky later announced that a new aid package worth more than €1.3bn, equivalent to about £1.1bn or $1.5bn, had been agreed with Germany. "These are weapons that will help [us] right now, as well as support for our energy sector ahead of winter," he said, highlighting the dual military and humanitarian dimensions of the assistance. The package arrives at a critical moment, as Ukraine prepares for a winter in which Russian strikes on energy infrastructure could once again leave millions without heat and power.

Since becoming chancellor in May 2025, Merz has positioned Germany as the single largest donor to Ukraine, a significant shift in a country that had initially been cautious about its role in the conflict. He said Ukraine "needs all our support in the coming weeks," adding a blunt warning: "If Russia is not stopped, its war machine will sooner or later turn against us." Zelensky indicated that there would be "important agreements" made between Ukraine and Germany, suggesting the relationship is deepening amid the shared threat posed by Russian aggression.

The Ukrainian president has repeatedly appealed to Western allies to provide more military support, including advanced air defense systems capable of intercepting the jet-powered drones and missiles that Russia is increasingly deploying. The strikes on Kyiv's bridges have added urgency to those requests, as Ukrainian officials grapple with the challenge of repairing damaged infrastructure while simultaneously defending it from further attack. The planned pontoon bridges and tunnel under the Dnipro represent both an emergency response and a long-term effort to make the capital more resilient.

The targeting of bridges carries significant strategic and symbolic weight. By striking crossings that connect the two halves of the capital, Russia aims to disrupt military logistics, civilian movement, and the sense of normalcy that Kyiv's residents have fought to maintain throughout the war. The fact that the bridges remain standing is a testament to their engineering, but the repeated hits and the resulting traffic chaos demonstrate that even non-destructive strikes can achieve meaningful disruption when directed at critical nodes in a city's transportation network.

With winter approaching and Russia signaling its intention to intensify attacks, Ukraine's allies face growing pressure to accelerate deliveries of air defense munitions, repair equipment, and energy sector support. The visit by Merz, coming amid a fresh wave of strikes, was designed to signal that Germany and its partners remain committed for the long haul. Yet the scenes on Kyiv's bridges — the holes in the roadway, the black smoke, the gridlocked traffic — serve as a vivid reminder of the daily toll the war continues to exact on Ukraine's capital and its people.