Kiev is grappling with a “very dramatic situation,” as declared by Mayor Vitali Klitschko, due to intensified Russian attacks involving missiles and drones. These strikes have targeted “critical infrastructure, logistics, housing,” and other essential sites, according to reports. Klitschko emphasized that the escalating attacks are effectively turning Kiev into “pieces.”
In response to the ongoing crisis, the Kiev Defense Council convened on Friday following Russian strikes on a bridge that caused significant traffic chaos. Recent drone assaults have also hit data centers, leading to internet connectivity issues.
“We are talking about survival,” Klitschko stated during the crisis meeting, attended by senior military officials, security personnel, emergency services, and police. He underscored that Russia’s objective is to instill panic, but reassured that the city will endure, depending on the collective efforts of its residents who care for it.
Major Bridge Struck Four Times in Two Days
Overnight, Russian forces targeted the Pivdennîi (South) bridge, a key transport link in Kiev, marking its fourth strike within two days. This bridge serves as one of the main routes across the Dnipro River, separating western and eastern Kiev.
The assaults have resulted in the suspension of road traffic and metro services in the bridge area, with restrictions also affecting the other two major bridges in the city.
One person was reported killed during an overnight attack on a residential building, according to Ukraine’s State Emergency Service (DSNS).
Zelensky: Russians Aim to Displace Citizens
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated that President Putin decided earlier this September that “there are no longer any rules” in the attacks against Ukraine.
“The Russians have failed to occupy us, so they are now carrying out massive attacks and mass killings. They want to destroy our bridges, data centers, the internet, mobile networks, hospitals, kindergartens, schools, and universities—everything. They want people to flee their cities,” Zelensky told the Financial Times in a recent interview.
In contrast, President Putin claims that his forces are targeting economic sites in Ukraine as a direct response to Ukraine’s strikes on Russian oil refineries and its naval vessels in the Black Sea. “We are receiving calls from all directions: ‘let’s stop this.’ However, it was they who initiated it,” Putin stated during a foreign policy forum in Valdai on Thursday.
