Russia strikes Kyiv bridge crossings for a fourth consecutive day: a drone hit the Northern Bridge over the Dnipro shortly after German Chancellor Friedrich Merz arrived in the Ukrainian capital on an unannounced visit to underline Germany's backing for Ukraine. City authorities have restricted or suspended traffic on five of Kyiv's six road bridges over the river, and Mayor Vitali Klitschko said two people were injured in the latest strike.

A drone hits the Northern Bridge as cars cross

The drone struck the key Northern Bridge over the Dnipro River on the fourth consecutive day of Russian attacks on the capital's bridges. Video footage captured cars driving across the span as the drone plunged into the roadway and exploded in a burst of fire. Kyiv's mayor said two people were injured. The bridges under attack are the crossings that thousands of residents use to commute between Kyiv's two banks.

Five of six road bridges restricted or shut

Kyiv has come under near-constant attack from Russia's new jet-powered drones in recent weeks, a campaign that is increasingly disrupting everyday life in the capital and threatens to leave the city without power this winter.

• •Russian strikes had already damaged the Northern Bridge and repeatedly hit the Southern Bridge.
• •Repeated attacks and the threat of more strikes have prompted city authorities to restrict or suspend traffic on five of Kyiv's six road bridges over the Dnipro.
• •The restrictions have caused temporary closures and large traffic jams.

Merz in Kyiv as Germany tops military aid

Merz arrived unannounced on a trip meant to underline Germany's backing for Ukraine during one of its most precarious periods since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in 2022. It is his second visit since becoming chancellor. He ranks among Kyiv's most outspoken supporters in Europe and warns about Russia's hybrid campaign against other nations. Since he entered office in May 2025, Germany has overtaken the United States as Ukraine's biggest military aid provider, as American support declines.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told him that Kyiv's people were suffering "terrible nights and days" and called Ukraine's Russian adversaries "absolute barbarians". Merz said the site showed how futile the war is, and warned:

Wider strikes, Moscow's warning and pressure on Merz at home

The bridge attacks belong to a wider Russian campaign against civilian and industrial infrastructure inside Ukraine. Strikes in recent weeks have hit logistics hubs, railway lines, datacentres, medical storage facilities and steel plants.

• •On Saturday, Russia's foreign ministry warned foreign nationals and diplomatic staff against remaining in or travelling to Ukraine, saying anyone who disregarded the warning would carry full responsibility for possible adverse consequences.
• •A number of foreign ambassadors, including Germany's, responded on social media that they intended to remain in Kyiv.
• •In Moscow, prominent pro-war commentator Sergei Markov wrote that Russia no longer pauses strikes on Kyiv during visits by European politicians.
• •The previous month, Germany formally accused Moscow of being behind a suspected plot against Leipzig/Halle airport, a key hub for western military aid to Ukraine.

At home, Merz faces growing discontent over his support for Ukraine as his approval ratings fall. Germany's far left and far right doubt the value of that support and want Berlin to scale back aid, and the pressure has intensified as the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) has made big electoral gains.

AfD co-leader Alice Weidel criticised the trip in a social media post, saying Merz was travelling on Germany's national holiday while promising billions in taxpayer money missing from pension and health insurance funds, and added that Germany is in its worst energy crisis.

Merz said Ukraine would need all of Germany's support in the coming weeks, while Ukraine's energy system faces a sustained assault expected to intensify over the winter.