Fireballs over Kyiv as Russia strikes bridges during Merz’s visit

Russian strikes killed one person and injured six others in Kharkiv, while a Russian drone hit a key bridge in Kyiv on Sunday, sending a huge fireball and thick black smoke into the sky as vehicles continued to cross the Dnipro.

Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov said on Telegram late on Sunday that one person was killed and six injured in the Russian air strike on Ukraine’s second-largest city.

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In Kyiv, a Russian drone struck the Northern Bridge, one of the capital’s key crossings over the Dnipro River. Video footage showed a large fireball erupting on the bridge while traffic continued to move across it.

Two people were injured in the strike, Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said, according to CNN.

The attack came as German Chancellor Friedrich Merz arrived in Kyiv amid air raid sirens, explosions and the activation of Ukrainian air defence systems. Merz travelled to the capital with German Economic Affairs and Energy Minister Katarina Reiche to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as Russia stepped up attacks on the city.

“Ukraine needs all our support in the coming weeks,” Merz said, warning that if Russia is not stopped, its war machine could eventually turn against Europe.

The Northern Bridge was hit for the second time in as many days. Kyiv’s Southern Bridge, which carries both road traffic and the city’s subway system, was also struck five times in less than 24 hours.

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Ukrainian officials have warned that continued attacks on the capital’s bridges could disrupt critical transport routes across the Dnipro and effectively split Kyiv in two. The river divides the city, with government institutions and many businesses concentrated on the right bank and predominantly residential areas on the left.

Ukraine’s infrastructure minister said on Sunday that Kyiv plans to build several alternative crossings over the Dnipro if attacks on the bridges continue.

The attacks came after Zelenskyy said Ukraine would intensify strikes on Russian oil refineries in response to Moscow’s attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure, raising the prospect of further escalation between the two sides.