On 3 October, a Russian drone struck the North Bridge in Kyiv. Mayor Vitali Klitschko confirmed the strike and reported that the emergency services were on their way to the scene. Operational reports mention a «Shahed» drone and a strike on the area around a support pillar.
Klitschko confirmed that the Northern Bridge had been hit
Vitali Klitschko said last night: «A strike on the North Bridge. Emergency services are on their way to the scene». The mayor did not provide any further details regarding the nature of the damage, possible casualties or changes to traffic patterns at the time of the initial report. The Russian army had previously been actively using attack drones against Kyiv: on 28 September, the president Volodymyr Zelenskyy reported that of the more than 120 «Shahed» drones used in the attack, around 90 were jet-powered.
Following the attack on the South Bridge, another crossing came under fire
A new strike took place following a series of attacks on Southern Bridge. On 1–2 October, Russian drones struck the structure on several occasions. Following one of the strikes, Klitschko reported damage to a bridge pier, a crash barrier, the road surface and the concrete safety barrier along the metro line.
As of 2 October, the South Bridge has been completely closed to cars and the underground. The city is awaiting an expert report from specialist research institutes to assess its technical condition.
The Northern Bridge is of critical importance for connecting the two banks
The Northern Bridge is one of the main transport links across the Dnipro. It connects the right bank of Kyiv with Troieshchyna, Voskresenka, Raiduzhny and other large residential areas on the left bank. The bridge complex itself comprises a crossing over the Dnipro, a bridge over the Desenka and a system of access roads and junctions.
That is precisely why any restrictions on its operation could place an additional burden on other crossings. Following previous attacks on the South Bridge in the capital, there have already been major traffic jams, bus routes were altered and journey times between the two banks increased sharply.
Traffic arrangements on the bridges in Kyiv have already been changed
Even before the latest attack, the city had introduced special traffic arrangements during air raid alerts. On the Northern Bridge and the Paton Bridge, traffic was restricted in the direction from the right bank to the left bank; on the Darnytsia Bridge, a single lane was kept open in that direction. Traffic restrictions were in place on the Metro Bridge and the Podil Underpass in the direction of the right bank, whilst the South Bridge remained completely closed.
The city authorities have not yet announced whether these rules will change following last night’s strike on the North Bridge. The final decision will depend on the results of the structural survey and the findings of the emergency and road services.
