Russia has launched a fresh bridge strike on Kyiv as Moscow bids to cripple life in war-torn Ukraine's capital. Two people were injured when a Kremlin attack damaged Kyiv's Northern Bridge early on Saturday. The hit came after Russia attacked the city's Southern Bridge, over the Dnipro River, this week.
Mayor reports damage and injuries
Vitali Klitschko, the city's mayor, earlier this week warned Moscow's intensified strikes were “tearing Kyiv apart”. On Saturday, Mr Klitschko said the bridge strike damaged the road surface and trolleybus cables, with westbound traffic suspended. Two people were hurt, including one who was hospitalised, he said. Videos circulating on social media appeared to show the moment of impact as vehicles crossed the bridge.
Russia's Defence Ministry confirmed it was behind the latest attack, claiming the bridge is used to "facilitate troop movements and the logistics of military cargo deliveries" for Ukraine's armed forces.
War intensifies with aerial strikes
Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of neighbour Ukraine over four-and-a-half years ago. The aerial war has intensified, with Kyiv striking Russia's oil industry and businesses. Meanwhile, the Kremlin has menaced Ukrainian cities with hard-to-intercept ballistic missiles and jet-powered drones.
Volodymyr Zelensky this week told how Ukrainian spy agencies had obtained info that Vladimir Putin had scrapped the constraints governing earlier air campaigns. The Ukrainian president told the Financial Times: “He said there are no rules now.” Putin gave the order last month, Zelensky said, as Moscow began intensifying air strikes on Ukraine's capital.
Moldova reports airspace violations
On Saturday, the president of Moldova, which borders Ukraine, said the war is "dangerously reaching" her country, following a spate of airspace incursions. Maia Sandu said: “I condemn Russia's attack on Ukraine this morning. Its war is dangerously reaching Moldova. 5 Russian air attack weapons, including Banderol missiles and drones, violated our airspace and exploded on our soil. Moscow is putting lives at risk across Europe and must be stopped.”
Ukraine's air force said that Moscow overnight into Saturday launched Banderol cruise missiles – low-cost, jet-powered loitering munitions that Russia uses to overwhelm Ukrainian air defences – at the Odesa region, which shares a long land border with Moldova. A loitering munition is designed to hover over an area, searching for targets, and detonate while crashing into them.
