Russia hits another bridge in Kyiv, traffic between the two banks of the Dnipro is paralysed (VIDEO)

Another major bridge in Kyiv was hit by Russian forces on Saturday morning, adding pressure on the Ukrainian capital’s critical infrastructure and causing further disruption to residents’ movement, the BBC reports.

According to Kyiv’s mayor, Vitali Klitschko, the strike occurred at the Pivnichnyi Bridge, known as the Northern Bridge, over the Dnipro River. The attack damaged the road surface and the tram cables, bringing traffic from the eastern bank to the western bank of the city to a halt.

A video circulating online shows the moment a missile hits the bridge at high speed, causing a large explosion. In the footage, vehicle and pedestrian traffic can be seen in the area.

The two bridges link Kyiv’s eastern and western neighbourhoods, which are divided by the Dnipro River. Until Thursday, they had not been hit directly during the war.

Their importance is particularly great for the city’s daily functioning. Before the Russian invasion in 2022, more than a third of the capital’s roughly three million residents lived on the eastern, or “left”, bank, while most government services and businesses are located on the western side.

The new attack comes only two days after the start of repeated Russian attacks on Kyiv’s Southern Bridge, which has been hit several times by drones, causing considerable problems for the capital’s road and rail links.

🇷🇺⚡Moment of impact on the Northern bridge in Kiev. This was long overdue ever since the first attack on the Crimean bridge, every crossing across the Dnepr should have been destroyed. pic.twitter.com/kmRt1uMkGo

The latest attacks have caused restrictions or temporary interruptions to traffic, while the constant warnings about Russian drones are making movement even more difficult.

On Friday, long queues of vehicles formed across the city, as drivers tried to find alternative routes to cross from one side of the Dnipro to the other.

The Ukrainian authorities are now concerned that the attacks on the bridges may be part of a new systematic Russian tactic, aimed at hindering movement and transport within the capital.

Experts assess that the drones used in these attacks are unlikely to be able to completely destroy the large bridges over the Dnipro. However, repeated attacks can cause serious damage, force their closure for a long period and gradually weaken their structure.

The situation has raised the alarm among the city authorities. After the attacks on the Southern Bridge, Kyiv’s Defence Council held an emergency meeting on Friday.

Klitschko described the situation as “very dramatic”, claiming that Moscow is systematically attacking critical infrastructure, transport networks and homes.

According to information carried by international media, the Ukrainian authorities are already considering alternative solutions in case one of the bridges remains out of function for a long period.

Among the options discussed are the use of ferries on the Dnipro and the installation of temporary floating bridges, in order to preserve the link between the two sides of the capital.

At the same time, the metro remains a main means of transport for hundreds of thousands of residents, making it particularly important to preserve the functioning of the lines that cross the river.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has accused Russia of now aiming to hit all the infrastructure that enables Ukrainian cities to function.

In an interview for the Financial Times, he said Moscow’s targets include bridges, data centres, mobile and internet networks, hospitals, schools and universities.

According to him, the aim is for daily life in the large cities to become so difficult that residents are forced to abandon them.

For his part, Russian President Vladimir Putin has argued that the attacks on Ukraine’s economic and energy infrastructure are a response to Ukrainian attacks on Russian refineries and targets in the Black Sea.

Russian attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure have intensified especially on the eve of winter. On 30 September, Russia undertook one of the largest recent attacks on the country’s energy network, causing power cuts and transport problems in Kyiv, among other places.

The successive attacks on the bridges over the Dnipro now add another pressure factor on the Ukrainian capital: not only the threat to the energy supply, but also the risk of making more difficult the geographical and transport links of a city built on both banks of the river.

Russia struck Kyiv’s Pivnichnyi (Northern) Bridge again this morning. The attack damaged the road surface and the overhead trolleybus network. Traffic from the left bank to the right bank is currently blocked, according to the mayor. pic.twitter.com/wQQZkejoDb