Russian aerial strikes forced the full or partial closure of three of Kyiv’s six road bridges across the Dnipro River on Friday, causing major traffic jams and disrupting travel between the two halves of the Ukrainian capital.
The Southern Bridge and Paton Bridge were temporarily closed, while traffic on the Metro Bridge was restricted toward the city’s right bank, according to Ukrainian officials and international news reports. Movement across the crossings was restored around midday.
The disruption followed repeated drone strikes on the Southern Bridge, one of Kyiv’s main transport arteries. Video published from the city showed commuters walking across a bridge that had been closed to cars and metro trains.
A Russian strike on a residential building in Kyiv killed one person and wounded two others, Ukrainian authorities said. A day earlier, a drone damaged a school in the capital, but more than 100 pupils who had moved into a shelter were not injured.
Bridges Are Critical to Daily Travel
The Dnipro divides Kyiv into eastern and western sections, making the bridges essential to the city’s daily transport network. Before Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022, more than one-third of Kyiv’s roughly 3 million residents lived on the left bank, while that side of the river accounted for only about 18% of the city’s jobs.
That imbalance means even a brief closure can disrupt hundreds of thousands of trips. The simultaneous restrictions on three crossings appeared to mark a new tactic in Russia’s campaign against the capital’s infrastructure, The Associated Press reported.
Reuters confirmed the closure of two bridges, partial restrictions on a third and the restoration of traffic by around midday.
Russia Claims Strikes on Infrastructure
Russia’s Defense Ministry said its drones struck a bridge across the Dnipro, a power station in the Kyiv region, facilities in Izmail and a cargo vessel. The full list and character of the targets could not be independently verified.
Moscow says it attacks facilities linked to Ukraine’s military and denies deliberately targeting civilians. Ukrainian officials say the strikes on bridges, power infrastructure and urban sites are part of an intensified aerial campaign ahead of winter.
Ukraine’s foreign minister, Andrii Sybiha, said Kyiv had received separate proposals for a limited ceasefire from the United States, India, Türkiye and Egypt. The proposals involve halting attacks on energy infrastructure and Black Sea shipping.
Kyiv has said it is prepared to discuss a reciprocal arrangement covering both energy sites and maritime traffic. Russia has continued to insist that any ceasefire should be part of a broader settlement.
Source: Vesti Baku