Kyiv mayor says Russian strike hit Northern Bridge, blocking traffic in one direction

Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said on Telegram on Saturday 3 October 2026 that the city's Northern Bridge had been hit and that emergency services were on their way, the BBC and France 24 reported. Both outlets attribute the strike to Russia, citing the mayor.

Klitschko said the attack damaged the road surface and trolleybus overhead wires. He said traffic from the left bank to the right bank was blocked. "Traffic on the bridge from the left to the right bank is currently blocked," the BBC quoted him as saying.

Both outlets base their accounts on the mayor's Telegram posts. The reports reviewed by Vocemundi do not include independent verification of the strike or of its attribution to Russia. According to France 24, the attack followed a drone alert.

Earlier strikes on the Southern Bridge

The Southern Bridge, another major Kyiv crossing, has been hit multiple times since Thursday 1 October, both outlets reported. France 24 attributes this to city officials. Drones were used in those strikes. The bridges link the eastern and western parts of the city.

According to the BBC, neither bridge had been hit before Thursday. The BBC reported that metro trains were suspended after Thursday's attack and that road traffic was eventually allowed to resume. Similar disruption continued on Friday after further strikes. Passengers described dust from a blast wave entering their carriage through the ventilation system, the BBC reported.

According to France 24, authorities shut the Southern Bridge on Friday and restricted movement on another bridge after a wave of strikes by fast-moving, jet-powered drones. The closures caused severe congestion across the capital, and some commuters continued on foot. France 24 describes the Southern Bridge as a cable-stayed structure and one of eight crossings connecting the two sides of Kyiv.

Kyiv's defence council held a crisis meeting on Friday, according to the BBC.

What each side says

• Vitali Klitschko: The mayor says a Russian strike hit the Northern Bridge. The BBC quoted him as saying the attacks are "tearing Kyiv apart"; France 24 attributes that phrase to city officials in its text. After Friday's meeting, he spoke of a "very dramatic situation" as Moscow batters "critical infrastructure, logistics, housing" and other key facilities, according to the BBC. France 24 reported that he warned on Friday that the capital should now be on a war footing.
• Vladimir Putin: According to the BBC, the Russian president says Russia is acting in response to Ukraine's strikes on Russian energy facilities. The reports do not say when or where he said this. The BBC states in its own voice that Russia, not Ukraine, was the first to launch strikes on energy facilities. The reports do not include a Russian comment on the Northern Bridge strike.

What is not known

The reports do not say:

• whether there were casualties;
• what weapon was used against the Northern Bridge;
• how extensive any structural damage is, or how long restrictions may last;
• whether traffic from the right bank to the left bank is affected;
• what the current status of the Southern Bridge and metro service is.

Analysis

If the mayor's account is accurate, two of Kyiv's river crossings have been struck within three days, after neither had been hit before, according to the BBC. That could point to a shift toward transport links, though the reports do not establish intent. Possible scenarios range from short-lived disruption, if damage is limited to road surfaces and wiring, to prolonged restrictions on movement between the two banks if further strikes follow or structural damage emerges. Much depends on information not yet available: independent verification, any Russian statement on the strikes, and engineering assessments of both bridges.

Produced by the Vocemundi newsroom with AI assistance.