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A Russian strike hit Kyiv's Northern Bridge early Saturday, damaging the road surface and blocking traffic, a day after authorities fully closed the capital's Southern Bridge following repeated attacks, Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said.
"Northern Bridge has been hit. Emergency services are heading to the scene," Klitschko said on Telegram, later adding that "traffic across the bridge from the left bank to the right bank is currently blocked."
The strikes on crossings over the Dnipro River, which link the eastern and western halves of the city, have brought traffic chaos to Kyiv in what city officials say is a wave of attacks "tearing Kyiv apart."
An air raid alert was declared in Kyiv at about 6:38 a.m. over the threat of attack drones, followed by explosions.
The hit on the bridge was reported at about 6:56 a.m.
Klitschko said the strike damaged the bridge's road surface and trolleybus wires. Several bus and trolleybus routes faced delays due to the closure, according to city transport operator Kyivpastrans.
The Russian military launched the drone strike on the Northern Bridge in Kyiv at night, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Saturday.
"Tonight, as a result of strikes by unmanned aerial vehicles, the Northern Road Bridge across the Dnieper River, which provides the transfer of troops and logistics for the supply of military cargo in the interests of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, was hit in the city of Kyiv," the ministry said in a statement on Telegram.
On Oct. 2, the Russian military announced a strike in Kyiv on a road-rail bridge across the Dnieper River.
Two Russian drones hit the Southern Bridge on Thursday, the first strike on a major Kyiv bridge since the start of the war. The bridge was struck again that evening and twice more on Friday, damaging a support column, the road surface and a protective barrier.
"The Southern Bridge, after several enemy attacks, is completely closed to motor vehicles and the metro, both during alerts and in their absence," the Kyiv city administration said Friday.
Traffic on other bridges was restricted during air raid alerts.
Long lines of stationary cars and buses clogged major roads Friday as commuters sought alternate routes. The Southern Bridge is one of eight crossings connecting the two sides of the city.
Klitschko warned that the capital should now be on a war footing.
Russia has intensified attacks on Kyiv using fast, jet-powered drones that are harder to shoot down. Sergiy Beskrestnov, an adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, said Russia is now using drones designed to cut power pylons and steel bridge structures.
Ukraine's air force recorded 3,177 Russian drone attacks in September through Sept. 29, up from 2,850 in August.
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday ruled out a ceasefire on long-range strikes.
"We are told: 'Let them stop striking your refineries, and you will stop striking their ships.' It is simply ridiculous," he said.
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