Russia Strikes Major Kyiv Bridge, Logistics Hub With Drones

Russian forces hit a major bridge in Kyiv that connects the left and right banks of the Dnipro River, as well as a logistics center near the capital overnight, in the latest series of drone attacks on Ukraine’s civil infrastructure.

Traffic across Kyiv’s Northern or Pivnichnyi Bridge has been halted, Mayor Vitali Klitschko said in a Telegram statement on Saturday. The strike damaged the bridge’s surface and overhead electrical wires of the city’s trolleybus network, he said.

The attack follows a series of strikes on Kyiv’s Southern road-and-rail bridge across the Dnipro earlier this week, which created logistical issues across Ukraine’s capital.

Russia’s Defense Ministry confirmed the latest attack, saying in a statement that the bridge it was being used to transport military cargoes. Russian forces also hit the Hostomel logistics center near Kyiv and a cargo vessel en route to the Black Sea port of Odesa, the ministry said.

Russia has intensified its attacks on Ukrainian civil infrastructure in the recent weeks, targeting residential areas, data centers and energy facilities, as well as sea terminals and cargo vessels in a move to disrupt agricultural exports across the Black Sea and make the coming winter more difficult for Ukraine.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told the Financial Times this week that the increase in strikes on civilian targets comes as Russian President Vladimir Putin instructed his military leaders to abandon the rules of war. Zelenskyy cited intelligence intercepted by Kyiv. Russia hasn’t commented.

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Airstrikes are now happening round the clock as Moscow has ramped up production of ballistic missiles and jet-powered Shahed drones, while Kyiv has faced a shortage of Patriot interceptors.

Russia is looking to intensify attacks on Ukraine’s largest cities, including the capital and Odesa on the Black Sea coast, to isolate them as winter sets in, Zelenskyy said. Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine is well into its fifth year.

Separately, the Russian defense ministry said that 218 Ukrainian drones had been downed over Russia between 8 p.m. on Friday and 8 a.m. on Saturday. In Kaluga, less that 100 miles (161 kilometers) south of Moscow, Ukrainian drones damaged several residential buildings, with minor injuries reported, local governor Vladislav Shapsha said in a Telegram statement.