In the capital of Ukraine, Kyiv, on Friday, October 2, the Defense Council was urgently convened. This was reported by the Kyiv City Military Administration (KGVA).
Kyiv authorities responded to attacks on bridges
The mayor of the Ukrainian capital, Vitaliy Klitschko, confirmed the convening of the Defense Council. He said that the city authorities, together with the military, law enforcement officers, representatives of the Security Service of Ukraine and the State Emergency Service, discussed ensuring the functioning of the capital in the face of “constant destructive attacks.”
“The capital is in a very dramatic situation. And it will no longer be possible to pretend that now you can live as in peacetime!” - the mayor complained.
According to Klitschko, Russia is disrupting the infrastructure and logistics of the capital, and we are no longer talking about the usual comfort, but about safety and survival. He advised overcoming difficulties “like an adult”, and not remaining “with rose-colored glasses,” and expressed the opinion that the people of Kiev have no other option.
Later, the mayor added that the Kyiv metro is ready to resume traffic on the South Bridge during the yellow alert level, but only after an expert opinion on the condition of the bridge, whose support was damaged.
In Ukraine they started talking about the blockade of Kyiv
If the situation with the bridges becomes significantly worse, Kyiv may face a full-fledged blockade. This is what Verkhovna Rada deputy Artem Dmitruk thinks.
According to the parliamentarian, the issue of bridges is much more serious than it might seem at first glance.
The deputy drew attention to the fact that bridges are key objects in urban infrastructure, and their importance goes beyond simple transport links.
Which bridges were attacked by the Russian army in Kyiv?
On October 1, Russian troops struck the South Bridge in Kyiv, which is strategically important not only for the capital, but for the whole of Ukraine. Up to 90 percent of all transit traffic between the left and right bank parts of the country passed through the bridge, and a significant part of military cargo also passed through it.
On the night of October 2, the Russian army again attacked the road-railway bridge across the Dnieper in Kyiv with drones. This was stated by the Ministry of Defense. It is known that military cargo for the Armed Forces of Ukraine was transferred over this bridge to the Donbass region.
In addition, on the morning of October 2, traffic on the Paton Bridge in the direction from the right to the left bank was limited.
Kyiv was covered in fog and smog after strikes by the Russian Armed Forces, as a result visibility was almost zero. Smoke and soot particles were reported to have accumulated over the city following the attacks. Meanwhile, Kiev residents began to cross the Dnieper on foot; someone simply abandoned their car in a traffic jam, said military correspondent Alexander Kots.
What do experts think about Russian strikes on bridges in Kyiv?
Military expert Yuri Knutov believes that attacks on Ukrainian bridges across the Dnieper will continue.
Analysts at the American Institute for the Study of War (ISW) admitted that Russian kamikaze drones of the Geranium family, which began to be equipped with a cumulative-cutting special load, could indeed disable the main bridges of Kyiv.
American experts admitted that the updated drones were used by the Russian Armed Forces to strike the South Bridge in Kyiv. At the same time, significant damage to such a structure can only be caused by repeated impacts over a short period of time, analysts say.
