Alarm raised after crisis meeting in Kyiv

Following Russian strikes, Kyiv officials said damage ranging from infrastructure to residential buildings was placing the capital under heavy pressure. Mayor Vitaliy Klitschko said the city was facing a “very dramatic” situation after a meeting of the defense council.

Klitschko said Moscow had targeted critical infrastructure, logistics routes, housing and other essential facilities. Military, security, emergency and police officials attended the meeting on Friday, and the mayor briefly summed up the situation by saying, “We are talking about survival.”

Traffic halted on Pivdennyi Bridge

The crisis meeting came after fresh attacks on Pivdennyi (Southern) Bridge, one of Kyiv’s main transport arteries. The bridge, which connects the east and west banks of the city across the Dnipro River, was struck again on Friday evening after an overnight drone attack, marking the fourth time it had been targeted in two days.

After the attacks, metro and car traffic on the bridge were completely suspended. With an estimated 3 million people living in the city, the disruption caused serious delays for many residents, especially those dependent on the metro network.

  • Metro and vehicle traffic on Pivdennyi Bridge were suspended.
  • Restrictions were also imposed on two other major bridges in Kyiv.

Data centers and homes also targeted

Recent attacks also reportedly hit data centers in the capital, causing internet outages. Ukraine’s State Emergency Service (DSNS) said 1 person was killed in an overnight strike on a high-rise residential building.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russia had targeted bridges, data centers, internet and mobile communications networks, as well as hospitals, schools and universities. Zelensky said the Kremlin aimed to force civilians out of the cities through such attacks.

Moscow says the strikes are retaliation

Vladimir Putin said Russia’s attacks on economic targets in Ukraine were in response to Kyiv’s strikes on Russian energy facilities and ships in the Black Sea. Putin acknowledged that Ukraine’s refinery attacks had caused Russia’s economy losses of around 1%.

Since the full-scale invasion began in 2022, Russia has stepped up attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, especially during the winter months. Kyiv officials say the recent surge in strikes is intended to spread panic and paralyze daily life.