Kyiv bridge hit in further Russian drone attack as German chancellor makes surprise visit

Major bridges in Kyiv have been targeted by Russian strikes for four consecutive days, as Moscow ramps up attacks on critical infrastructure in the capital.

The Pivnichnyi (Northern) Bridge was hit on Sunday morning, a day after it was first hit in an attack that damaged the road surface and led to traffic disruption.

Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said Sunday's strike on the bridge had damaged a heating main, adding that there would be a temporary lack of hot water in the north-eastern Desnyanskyi district as a result.

The latest bridge attack came as German Chancellor Friedrich Merz made a surprise visit to the capital on Sunday.

Video footage of Sunday's strike, verified by the BBC, shows cars moving on Pivnichnyi Bridge as a drone crashes into it before exploding, creating a ball of fire. A cloud of black smoke can be seen rising above the bridge.

No casualties have been reported.

Klitschko wrote about the strike on Telegram, saying: "Hitting the roadway on the Pivnichnyi Bridge. Emergency services are on their way to the scene."

As emergency services responded to the incident, Germany's Merz met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenksy in the city. They laid wreaths to Ukrainian soldiers who have been killed in the war.

Merz reaffirmed his country's support for Ukraine, writing on X: "Ukraine is facing decisive weeks. That is why I travelled to Kyiv today with the message: You can rely on us.

"Germany's security also depends on the outcome of this war. That is why we are helping out of our own self-interest as well."

Since Merz became chancellor in May 2025, Germany has become the single largest donor to Ukraine.

He said the country "needs all our support in the coming weeks", adding: "If Russia is not stopped, its war machine will sooner or later turn against us."

Zelensky has made repeated appeals for Western allies to provide more military support to the country, including supplying advanced interceptors that can shoot down new jet-powered, Russian drones.

The attacks on Kyiv's major bridges appear to be a new strategy from Moscow.

The first Russian strike on the Pivnichnyi Bridge took place on Saturday, injuring two people and damaging the road surface and overhead trolleybus wires, Klitschko said.

Just days before, the Pivdennyi (Southern) Bridge was hit multiple times by Russian drones.

The Pivdennyi and Pivnichnyi bridges, which cross the Dnipro River, link the western and eastern parts of the capital and had not been hit before Thursday.

Russia said its drones had hit the two bridges, which it said were used to transfer Ukrainian troops and military cargo.

It also repeated a warning for foreign citizens, including diplomats, to leave Kyiv.

Responding to the warning, EU ambassador Katarína Mathernová wrote on X on Sunday: "The EU Delegation is staying. Threatening us will not stop Europe's support for Ukraine. It only reminds us why that support matters!"

German ambassador to Ukraine, Boris Ruge, reacted to Mathernova's post with: "Amen - we're staying".

Earlier attacks on the Pivdennyi Bridge prompted Kyiv's defence council to hold a crisis meeting on Friday.

Klitschko warned that the city was now in a "very dramatic situation" as Moscow was battering its "critical infrastructure, logistics, housing" and other key facilities.

Experts say Russian drones are unlikely to bring down the bridges - but repeated attacks will force their closure and risk weakening their structure, making them unusable.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has said Russia is acting in response to Ukraine's strikes on Russian energy facilities, despite the fact that it was Moscow that had first launched such attacks.

Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.