Russia Strikes Kyiv's North Bridge With Cars Crossing

Dramatic footage from Kyiv shows the moment a Russian aircraft struck the North Bridge, one of the Ukrainian capital's main traffic arteries, with vehicles still moving on the road. The explosion sent a flash of fire and smoke rising from the bridge area, bringing traffic to an immediate halt.

According to current reports, this is not an isolated incident. In recent days, the Russian military has intensified attacks on bridges crossing the Dnieper River in Kyiv. On October 3, the North Bridge was hit by a Russian jet-powered unmanned aerial vehicle, damaging the roadway and the overhead electric network for trolleybuses and halting traffic on the bridge. Two people were injured in that strike.

On October 4, another strike was reported on the North Bridge, with a Russian aircraft again hitting the road surface. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said emergency services were dispatched to the scene.

Fireball in broad daylight: drivers stopped with screeching brakes (Photo: Social media)

The North Bridge connects the left and right banks of Kyiv, crossing the Dnieper. Its significance to the city is particularly great, as a substantial portion of Kyiv's residents live on the eastern bank and travel daily toward the city center and the western bank. According to Reuters, more than a third of Kyiv's approximately 3 million residents live on the left bank.

The strike on the North Bridge comes after a series of attacks on the South Bridge as well. Within a matter of days, several of Kyiv's bridges have been hit, and the attacks have caused significant traffic restrictions. Authorities have been forced to reroute buses and trolleybuses and limit passage on some of the bridges.

In Ukraine, there are concerns that the goal is not necessarily to completely destroy the bridges, but rather to damage Kyiv's ability to function normally, disrupt traffic, and apply pressure on the city. A Ukrainian aviation expert said that destroying a large bridge using the warhead of an unmanned aerial vehicle is a very difficult task, and therefore the series of attacks may be aimed more at disruption and psychological pressure than at complete destruction.