Arabic version: استهداف جسر في كييف مجدداً خلال زيارة ميرتس

According to BBC News, Kyiv’s Pivnichnyi, or Northern, Bridge was targeted by Russian strikes on Sunday morning for the second day in a row, as German Chancellor Friedrich Merz made a surprise visit to the Ukrainian capital.

The bridge was first struck by drones on Saturday, when two people were injured and the road surface and overhead trolleybus wires were damaged, Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said. Sunday’s strike also damaged a heating main, leading to a temporary lack of hot water in the north-eastern Desnyanskyi district, he said.

Klitschko said emergency services were heading to the scene after a hit on the roadway. Unverified footage of Sunday’s incident appeared to show cars moving on the bridge before a drone crashed into it and exploded, with black smoke rising above the structure.

Merz arrived in Kyiv by train and reaffirmed Germany’s support for Ukraine, pledging further help to strengthen Ukrainian air defences. He wrote on X that Ukraine was facing “decisive weeks” and said Germany’s security also depended on the outcome of the war.

Kyiv’s Pivnichnyi and Pivdennyi bridges cross the Dnipro River and link the capital’s western and eastern parts. The Pivdennyi Bridge was hit multiple times by Russian drones days earlier. Russia said the bridges were used to transfer Ukrainian troops and military cargo, while experts said repeated drone attacks could force closures and weaken the structures even if they were unlikely to bring them down.