Second Russian Strike on Kyiv’s Southern Bridge Damages Support, Halts Metro

On Thursday, a Russian drone struck Kyiv's Southern Bridge for the second time, damaging a bridge support and prompting authorities to halt metro and surface transport across the bridge. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko initially reported the strike at 9:50 p.m. local time, noting the drone hit the roadway and emergency services were en route.

In a follow-up, Klitschko stated the UAV had targeted the bridge, damaging the support, a crash barrier, roadway and metro protective barrier. No casualty details or full damage extent were provided at the time.

Earlier Thursday, two Russian drones hit near the bridge's support structure. A blast wave reportedly sent dust into a metro carriage through its ventilation system while the train crossed, but the train remained intact with no injuries reported. Kyiv City State Administration found no critical damage after the morning attack, allowing ground transport to resume while metro inspections continued.

The Southern Bridge, a cable-stayed structure over the Dnipro River, supports both road traffic and the metro's Green Line, linking eastern and western Kyiv. This was the first Russian drone strike on Kyiv's bridges since February 2022. New air-raid alert rules permit metro trains to cross during "yellow" alerts, suspending service only during "red" alerts for large-scale attacks.

The bridge became the target of Russian Geran-4 drone strike on a school in Kyiv's Solomianskyi district while over 100 children and teachers were sheltering inside. Earlier, Ukraine deployed its domestically produced FP-7 tactical ballistic missile in combat for the first time, marking a milestone in Kyiv's efforts to develop civilian strike weapons amid Russia's intensifying campaign to target civilian infrastructure nationwide.