On the night of October 3, Russian forces launched a large-scale attack on Ukraine's territory using 157 unmanned aerial vehicles. The Ukrainian Air Force managed to shoot down 131 of them. Nevertheless, drones struck 12 different locations, while debris from downed devices fell in another 5 locations.
In Kyiv, the strategically significant North Bridge was targeted. As a result of the strike, the roadway and trolleybus network were damaged, completely shutting down traffic from the left bank to the right bank. Russia's Ministry of Defense officially commented on the operation, claiming the bridge was being used to transport troops and military cargo for the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
This is not the first strike on the capital's bridges. Earlier on October 1 and subsequently, strikes were also carried out on the South Bridge, where both vehicle and metro train traffic are currently suspended. In total, traffic restrictions have been imposed on four more of the nine bridges over the Dnipro River, causing massive traffic jams.
Concurrently, the Russian army attacked Kharkiv with guided bombs. Around two dozen residential buildings were destroyed or damaged, two elderly women were killed, and 42 people, including three children, sustained injuries of varying severity. According to Oleh Syniehubov, head of the Kharkiv Regional Military Administration, a total of 5 people were killed in the region as a result of the strikes.
The targeting of Kyiv's bridges demonstrates a clear shift in military tactics aimed at paralyzing the capital's transport arteries. The damage to connections across the Dnipro directly disrupts the city's normal life and logistics.
At the same time, the use of guided bombs in residential areas continues to cause significant casualties among the civilian population. In the near future, how quickly damaged infrastructure can be restored and a full-scale transport crisis prevented will prove critical.
