Russian Strikes Close Key Kyiv Bridge and Snarl Traffic Across Capital
Bridge Closure Causes Kyiv Traffic Chaos
Russian strikes have forced the closure of a key bridge in Kyiv, causing major traffic jams across the capital and disrupting public transport between the city's eastern and western banks, city authorities said on Oct. 2. [1] The Kyiv City Military Administration said on Oct. 2 that the Southern Bridge was closed in both directions. [1] Some public buses were rerouted via the Darnytskyi Bridge. [1] Amid the disruption, some Kyiv residents were crossing the Dnipro River bridges on foot as traffic remained heavily congested, the social media footage showed. [1] Traffic was gridlocked in Kyiv on Oct. 2, 2026. [1] Russian aerial attacks forced the partial closure Friday of three bridges over the Dnipro River in Kyiv, the Ukrainian capital's mayor said, in Moscow's latest effort to disrupt life in the city. [3]
Details of Strikes on Southern Bridge
The Southern Bridge, which carries both road traffic and the metro across the Dnipro, was struck multiple times on Oct. 1 and early Oct. 2. [1] Its road surface, a bridge support, a guardrail, and a protective concrete structure around the metro line were damaged in the attacks. [1] Russian drones struck near the bridge's supports at around 11:30 a.m. on Oct. 1 while cars and a metro train were crossing, according to Klitschko. [1] Traffic was temporarily halted, but city officials later said a preliminary inspection found no critical structural damage and reopened the bridge. [1] The bridge was hit again overnight on Oct. 2, with the latest strike damaging a bridge support, part of the road surface, a barrier and a protective concrete structure around the metro line, Klitschko said. [1] Emergency crews were sent to the site and the metro tracks were de-energized. [1] Traffic, including metro and surface public transport, was subsequently suspended. [1]
Casualties and Recent Kyiv Attacks
A Russian overnight attack on Kyiv killed one person and injured two others, local authorities reported early on Oct. 2. [1] Kyiv has faced repeated Russian attacks in recent days. [1] A large-scale Russian missile and drone attack beginning on Sept. 30 killed four people and injured at least eight, while also damaging residential and energy infrastructure in the capital. [1]
Zelenskyy: Russia Aims to Empty Kyiv
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said that Russia is trying to force Ukrainians to leave Kyiv by intensifying attacks on civilian targets and predicted further escalation ahead of the US midterm elections. [2] "They want Ukrainians, and especially residents of the capital, to leave the city. They really wanted this during the full-scale invasion, right from the very beginning," Zelenskyy said in an interview with El País during a visit to a school in Kyiv damaged in a Russian attack. [2] Zelenskyy said that at the beginning of the full-scale invasion, Russia had also sought to drive people out of Kyiv in order to demonstrate that if there was no capital, there was no country. [2] Meanwhile, Zelenskyy stressed that Ukraine is more than its capital and that Kyiv remains strong. [2] The president said that the Russians are attacking civilian targets in an effort to paralyse the city and prevent people from going to work and children from attending schools and kindergartens. [2] Zelenskyy linked the intensification of Russian strikes to the approaching US midterm elections. [2] In his view, Putin will continue escalating the situation in an effort to demonstrate his strength, with the Kremlin's signals aimed primarily at Washington. [2] "Putin's tactic is to escalate the conflict as much as possible, and he will continue to do so. And as Trump's midterm elections approach, he will do it more and more," Zelenskyy said. [2] Zelenskyy also said that he had warned the US negotiating team about large-scale attacks on civilians, including after the elections. [2] He said Russia is seeking to plunge Ukraine into chaos by attacking logistics, food supplies, hospitals, agriculture and educational institutions. [2]
Impact on City Bridges and Transport
According to Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko, movement on the Metro Bridge is limited to one lane from the eastern bank toward the western bank, while traffic on the Paton Bridge is fully restricted from the western bank toward the eastern bank. [1] Some public buses were rerouted via the Darnytskyi Bridge. [1] Amid the disruption, some Kyiv residents were crossing the Dnipro River bridges on foot as traffic remained heavily congested, the social media footage showed. [1] Russian aerial attacks forced the partial closure Friday of three bridges over the Dnipro River in Kyiv, the Ukrainian capital's mayor said, in Moscow's latest effort to disrupt life in the city. [3] Motorists are stuck in traffic jams in Kyiv on October 2, 2026, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. [1] Traffic was gridlocked in Kyiv on Oct. 2, 2026. [1]
What to watch next: Zelenskyy linked the intensification of Russian strikes to the approaching US midterm elections and said Putin will continue escalating the situation in an effort to demonstrate his strength, with the Kremlin's signals aimed primarily at Washington.
