Russia hits Kyiv bridge again, injuring two, as German chancellor visits

Russian forces have again struck a major bridge in Kyiv, targeting the northern crossing over the River Dnipro as traffic moved across it. The moment was captured on a car dashboard camera. The bridge was hit for a second time this morning, leaving it further damaged but still standing. Two people were injured. The city's southern bridge has been hit five times since Thursday, and the latest attacks mark the first time bridges across the Dnipro in Kyiv have been hit.

Eight bridges link the east and west of the capital across the river, and many of Kyiv's three million residents rely on them. The strikes have caused long traffic jams and disruption. One resident, Oleksandr, who moved to Kyiv four years ago to escape frontline fighting, said crossing the bridge now brings anxiety. He said: 'It won't stop us, five years of terror haven't stopped us, so this won't stop us either. We'll swim, I don't know, use boats, whatever it takes, somehow we'll get around.' Repairs have kept some crossings open, but officials face the challenge of keeping people safe while preventing the two sides of the city from being divided.

Ukraine's president, Volodymyr Zelensky, said Russia is trying to force people to leave the capital. Kyiv's mayor said the attacks were tearing the city apart. Ukrainian MP Maria Ionova described a new phase of the war, with nightly air raid alerts, hundreds of jet-powered drones, and attacks on energy stations and civilian facilities, including the National Academy of Science of Ukraine and a medical centre. She said no countermeasures to jet-powered drones have been found yet, and warned that Russia wants to cut Kyiv between its two banks.

The bridge strike came as Germany's chancellor, Friedrich Merz, arrived in Kyiv in a show of European support. He announced more aid and said the weeks ahead would be decisive. He called the attacks on civilians barbaric and daily war crimes, and said he was ready for talks to bring the war to an end. Russia warned foreign nationals and diplomats to leave Kyiv, saying those who ignored the warning faced mortal danger. The German chancellor defied that threat and experienced the menace of Russian drones for himself, according to reports.

Russia's military says it intends to intensify strikes on Kyiv and other regions. Moscow claims it is targeting infrastructure used to supply Ukraine's military. Ukraine says the campaign is aimed at making the capital unlivable. Zelensky said Ukrainian intelligence had obtained documents showing President Vladimir Putin had issued a new doctrine to target a much broader range of civilian targets. He said Ukraine would double down on attacking Russian oil refineries.

Zelensky also said the United States aims to host talks with Russia by the end of this month, and that Ukraine stands ready. The attacks have hit apartment blocks, medical centres, cafes, supermarkets, schools and the science academy in recent days. Ukraine says it has intercepted a Russian plan to collapse the country's energy network and target its water system. The wider region remains tense: Latvia held a parliamentary election with security on voters' minds, and Moldova said Russian weapons violated its airspace.