Russia renews its warning to foreigners in Kyiv and continues to target the capital's bridges

On Saturday, Russia renewed its call on diplomats and foreigners present in Kiev to leave, warning that it would continue to launch “large-scale retaliatory strikes” on the Ukrainian capital, while its forces continued for the second day in a row to target city bridges in the city of three million people, causing traffic jams and paralyzing movement to “tear it apart,” as officials described it.

The Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement that it “reiterated” its warning to the diplomatic corps, calling on “foreign nationals and diplomats in Kiev to leave the city.” “The responsibility for any negative consequences lies entirely with those who ignore this warning,” the ministry added, declaring that “Russian forces will continue to launch large-scale retaliatory strikes” against “military targets in Kiev and other Ukrainian cities.”

The Ukrainian capital has been subjected to intense attacks in recent weeks, as Russian strikes significantly targeted bridges, and hit, on Saturday, an important bridge, the North Bridge, two days after the South Bridge was targeted, according to what Kiev Mayor Vitali Klitschko announced. Klitschko described the situation in the capital as “very tragic,” noting that Moscow is “tearing Kiev apart” by attacking its bridges and energy infrastructure. “The North Bridge was hit and emergency equipment was on its way,” Klitschko wrote on Telegram, after sirens sounded in Kiev to warn of a drone attack. With the arrival of winter, the Ukrainian authorities fear that Russia will strike strong blows to the country's energy infrastructure, as it did in 2025.

For its part, Ukraine regularly launches attacks on oil refineries and warehouses in Russia, causing a fuel crisis this summer, in addition to targeting commercial warehouses, cargo ships, and infrastructure.

The Ukrainian army said on Friday that it had targeted an oil refinery in Volgograd and another facility in Samara, both in southwestern Russia, because they supplied fuel to Russian forces. Meanwhile, Kiev denied reports that its F-16 fighters, which are also a major tool for countering jet drones, may be forced to stop flying due to delays in maintenance and supplies of spare parts. But Zelensky told the Financial Times that about half of Ukraine's fleet remains in Europe for long periods of time to carry out maintenance work.

Zelensky said that Ukraine used its FB-7 tactical ballistic missile in combat for the first time, without revealing where it was used or the target against which it was used. He added that Ukraine is testing five interceptor missiles of its own production to confront drones.

On Friday, the Ukrainian president accused his Russian counterpart of flouting the rules of armed conflict by allowing large-scale attacks on civilian targets, while traffic in Kiev was paralyzed due to the closure of bridges following drone strikes.

Volodymyr Zelensky said that Vladimir Putin stated last month that “there are no longer rules,” considering that this paved the way for “large-scale” attacks that caused deaths and targeted facilities, including bridges, hospitals, schools, universities, and the communications network.

“They want people to flee their cities, and we must do everything in our power to save our people and our cities,” Zelensky wrote on the “X” platform. Long queues of parked cars and buses extended on the main roads, amid severe traffic jams, while passengers searched for alternative routes, and some of them were forced to continue on their way.

Tatiana Osipenko (49 years old), a seamstress, said: “I have been on the bus for three hours... trying to get to my workplace.” She added in a statement to Agence France-Presse, while the bus was stuck in traffic: “There is no way to reach.” nothing. It is impossible to cross the bridges today.”

Traffic was jammed due to the complete closure of the bridge south of the capital to all vehicles in both directions, which is one of eight bridges linking eastern and western Kiev over the Dnipro River. The bridge was bombed several times on Thursday and Friday morning. Traffic on the Patton Bridge was available in only one direction, but there were no reports of it being bombed.

Kiev has come under increasing aerial bombardment in recent months, keeping the city on near-constant alert and disrupting daily life. Sirens sound warning of air threats almost around the clock, calling on the city's population of about three million people to take shelter. Repeated strikes on trains and gas stations have damaged the railway and road networks, while attacks on energy facilities threaten electricity and heating supplies as winter approaches.

Osipenko said she would not be able to return home due to traffic jams. Previous disturbances in subway services during air raids forced her to spend the night at a metro station near the South Bridge. She added that her inability to work causes her financial loss and increases the burden of the high cost of living due to the war, saying: “You spend the whole day completely exhausted.”

Zelensky called for stronger sanctions to prevent Russia from manufacturing its new drones equipped with jet engines, which are fast and difficult to intercept. He wrote on social media on Friday that Russia's production of these weapons "crucially depends" on foreign components. He added: “In fact, it is possible to stop manufacturing every Russian drone on the production line. What is required is the availability of political will among these countries.” Zelensky repeatedly called on Ukraine's Western allies to provide more military support, especially American-made interceptor missiles for the Patriot system.

The Japanese government announced additional sanctions against Russia, as its invasion of Ukraine continues, targeting what is known as a “shadow fleet of ships involved in transporting oil that is subject to sanctions from Russia.”

The Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that it decided to impose restrictions on the provision of services to 35 ships, as part of its joining international efforts to take strict measures to evade sanctions from the fleet, according to the “Japan Today” newspaper, on Saturday. These measures include imposing restrictions on the provision of services, including insurance, maritime transport, hiring and dispatching crews, and repairing ships, including cargo ships and oil tankers.

The sanctioned ships are believed to be transporting Russian crude oil to countries including China and India, as those exports provide a major source of revenue for Moscow. Japan also announced restrictions on payments and transactions covering 33 entities and nine individuals linked to Russia. An additional 102 goods were also subject to restrictions on exports to Russia.

The Ukrainian Seaports Administration said on Saturday that Russia attacked a cargo ship flying the Liberian flag in one of Ukraine's ports on the Black Sea in the Odessa region, killing one person and wounding three others. The administration added in a statement via Telegram that 13 other members of the ship’s crew had been evacuated to a safe place.

As the war continued for the fifth year, since the summer Russia effectively re-imposed its blockade on the Ukrainian ports overlooking the Black Sea, which led to disruption of trade routes, a decline in grain and steel exports, and a severe blow to the Ukrainian economy.

A senior American official at the US-Ukraine Joint Investment Fund for Reconstruction told Reuters that the fund had concluded its first deal in the field of critical minerals, along with four other new projects. The fund was established within the framework of the minerals agreement that the two countries signed in April last year after pressure from US President Donald Trump, and focuses on five strategic sectors ranging from minerals and defense to energy and infrastructure.

Conor Coleman, head of investments at the US International Development Finance Corporation (DFC), said that the fund's projects now have a total value of about $70 million, and demonstrate Washington's support for Kiev in the long-term war with Russia. “It is absolutely necessary for the Ukrainian people that we invest now,” he added in an interview, referring to the ongoing damage that Ukraine is facing as winter approaches again.

The long-awaited first metals deal will pump nearly $30 million into a “joint investment platform” with BGV Group, a company founded by Hennadiy Butkevich, the billionaire co-owner of ATB, the largest supermarket chain in Ukraine. Two other new projects announced today aim to strengthen Ukraine's electricity and heating networks after an escalation in Russian attacks on key infrastructure ahead of winter. The Fund will also acquire a stake in a cogeneration platform designed to help build and operate a number of energy centers aimed at restoring damaged electricity and heating supplies to households.

Russian President Vladimir Putin followed military exercises in which thousands of soldiers participated under the umbrella of the Collective Security Treaty Organization led by Russia. The Russian President said, in statements broadcast on state television on Friday, that more than 47,000 soldiers participated in strategic maneuvers conducted in 11 fields and the Caspian Sea, with the aim of enhancing leadership skills and confronting external aggression, according to Bloomberg News Agency.

The Russian President explained from the Chelyabinsk region that the participants used new military equipment and benefited from the experiences gained during the fighting in Ukraine. The official Russian TASS news agency quoted Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov as saying that the maneuvers were planned in advance and were not a response to current cross-border threats.

The CSTO is a Russian-led coalition, which also includes Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan as active members. The maneuvers began on September 28 and are scheduled to end on Saturday, according to the Kremlin. China was among the foreign countries that sent military forces to participate in the maneuvers, according to Interfax, citing materials issued by the Russian presidency.