In brief
The mayor of Ukraine’s capital, Vitaliy Klitschko, warned that intensified Russian drone and missile strikes are tearing Kyiv apart, targeting critical infrastructure such as bridges, data centres and residential buildings. The city’s transport system has been halted after the Pivdennyi bridge was hit twice in two days, causing gridlock and forcing residents to rely on an already strained metro network. President Zelensky has accused Russia of responding to strikes on Russian energy facilities, while Russian President Putin denies responsibility. The escalating conflict has left around three million residents grappling with daily disruptions and threats to safety.
The mayor of Ukraine’s capital, Vitaliy Klitschko, said last Friday the city was in a very dramatic situation as Moscow intensified drone and missile attacks on Kabul’s critical infrastructure.
Klitschko added that the strikes were battering bridges, logistics hubs, housing and data centres, which has already caused internet outages across the city.
The mayor’s remarks followed a crisis meeting of Kyiv’s defence council, held after a Russian drone struck the Pivdennyi bridge overnight and hit it again, the fourth time in two days. The bridge is a main artery across the Dnipro River that links western and eastern parts of Kyiv.
All metro and automobile traffic has been suspended across the bridge, creating major delays. Restrictions also cover the city’s two other key bridges. The city’s estimated population of about three million relies heavily on the metro network.
One person was killed when a multi‑storey residential building was struck overnight, according to Ukraine’s state emergencies service DSNS.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said Putin had decided that “there are no rules now” for attacking Ukraine. In a recent interview, Zelensky described the attacks as a strategy to force people to flee cities by targeting bridges, data centres, the internet, hospitals, schools and other essential services.
Putin, speaking at the Valdai forum, insisted that Russian strikes on Ukrainian oil infrastructure were a response to Ukraine’s attacks on Russian refineries and ships in the Black Sea. He acknowledged that these attacks had cost Russia about 1% of its GDP.
The conflict, which escalated in 2022, has seen Russia increase attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure, especially during winter months.
