Russia may have used new 40kg warhead to strike Southern Bridge in Kyiv – ISW

Russian forces may have employed a new 40kg warhead equipped on long-range drones to target the Southern Bridge in Kyiv, according to analysts from the Institute for the Study of War (ISW). The ISW report suggests that such a strategy would entail multiple, precise strikes over a short duration to inflict significant damage on the reinforced structure.

Russian milbloggers claim the goal is to impede traffic across the bridge and cause cumulative harm through repeated assaults on the same location. This action is part of Russia's broader attack campaign, targeting civilian infrastructure and employing strikes during both day and night to inflict hardships on Kyiv's residents and disrupt daily activities.

Serhiy (Flash) Beskrestnov, an advisor on defense technology to the President of Ukraine, reported on September 30 that Russian forces had utilized a 40-kilogram shaped-charge warhead on Geran-type jet-powered drones, specifically targeting electricity pylons and steel bridge structures. The ISW acknowledges that the exact type of warhead employed to strike the bridge remains uncertain.

While some Russian milbloggers assert that Russian forces utilized a Geran-type drone with a shaped-charge warhead to target the Southern Bridge, others suggest the new warhead was used to damage power lines. The think tank adds that such technical adaptations to the Geran strike drone could potentially permit Russian forces to conduct repeated, precise strikes against structural weaknesses in the bridge.

On the night of Friday, October 2, Russia conducted another strike on the Southern Bridge in Kyiv, closing it to all traffic while halting the flow of vehicles on the Paton Bridge in the direction from the right bank to the left.