File image.
The Russian military struck Kyiv’s Southern Bridge again on October 2 and hit the Ukrainian capital’s Northern Bridge the following morning, extending a campaign against the city’s main Dnipro crossings and leaving traffic heavily disrupted across the river.
The Southern Bridge, already closed after earlier drone attacks, was hit again on the afternoon of October 2, according to Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko. Black smoke rose from the crossing, although the extent of any additional structural damage was not immediately clear.
Later, on the morning of October 3, a drone strike targeted the Northern Bridge. The impact damaged the roadway and the overhead trolleybus network, forcing authorities to halt traffic from the left bank toward the right bank. No casualties were reported.
The recent attacks appear to have involved Russia’s Geran-4 Seeker one-way attack drones. The jet-powered drone is reported to be capable of speeds exceeding 500 kilometers per hour and a range of more than 850 kilometers. It is also equipped with an artificial intelligence-powered optical targeting system.
Russia’s 50th Separate Unmanned Systems Brigade, known as Varyag, released fresh footage showing some of the strikes.
Commenting on the recent strikes on the Northern Bridge, the Russian Ministry of Defense said that the crossing is being used to “transport troops and supplies military cargo for the Ukrainian Armed Forces.”
The damage has left Kyiv operating with a much-reduced capacity to move people and vehicles between the two banks of the river.
The Southern Bridge remains closed to both road traffic and metro service. Following the Northern Bridge strike, buses 21, 73, 101 and 114 returned to their regular routes but were running with delays, while trolleybus routes 29, 30, 31 and 47 were split between the two banks because their overhead network on the bridge was damaged.
Other crossings on the Dnipro are carrying the diverted traffic under strict restrictions introduced after the earlier drone attacks.
During air-raid alerts, traffic is restricted on the Metro Bridge from the left bank to the right, while the Podilskyi crossing and the Paton Bridge are also subject to directional restrictions. The Darnytskyi Bridge has remained the principal unrestricted crossing outside those alert-related measures.
The closures have produced severe congestion. The Associated Press reported that traffic in Kyiv was so heavy late on October 2 that one resident took 45 minutes to travel about 4 kilometers. The traffic jam continued on the morning of October 3.
The latest strikes broaden the disruption from the Southern Bridge to another major crossing rather than leaving the impact confined to a single structure. More than a third of Kyiv’s roughly 3 million residents live on the Dnipro’s left bank, while most government institutions and many workplaces are on the right bank, making the remaining crossings critical to daily movement.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
SouthFront: Analysis and Intelligence
NOW hosted at southfront.press
Previously, SouthFront: Analysis and Intelligence was at southfront.org.
The .org domain name had been blocked by the US (NATO) (https://southfront.press/southfront-org-blocked-by-u-s-controlled-global-internet-supervisor/) globally, outlawed and without any explanation
Back before that, from 2013 to 2015, SouthFront: Analysis and Intelligence was at southfront.com
the polygom 404 (formaly known as ukraine) will have to live under russian terms or it will cease to exist, heheheh