Intensified Russian drone and missile strikes are "tearing Kyiv apart", the mayor of Ukraine's capital warned.
Vitaliy Klitschko described the situation as "very dramatic", noting that Moscow was battering critical infrastructure, logistics, housing and other key facilities.
The comments came after Kyiv’s defence council convened for a crisis meeting following new Russian strikes on the city’s Pivdennyi (Southern) bridge, which cut off traffic and caused chaos across the metropolis. The bridge is a main artery across the Dnipro River, linking the western and eastern parts of the capital.
All metro and automobile traffic on the bridge was suspended, further adding to delays. Restrictions were also imposed on Kyiv’s other key bridges.
The city’s data centres suffered recent hits, resulting in internet outages, and one multi‑storey residential building was struck overnight, killing a resident, according to the state emergencies service DSNS.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russia had decided in early September that "there are no rules now" when attacking Ukraine. He described the attacks as a desperate attempt to cripple the capital’s bridges, data centres, mobile networks, hospitals, kindergartens and universities, hoping to force civilians to flee in panic.
Putin, who defended Moscow’s strikes, claimed they were in response to Ukraine’s attacks on Russian oil refineries and ships in the Black Sea. He also noted that Russia had lost about 1% of its GDP due to Ukrainian attacks on its energy infrastructure—a figure Ukraine disputes.
Regardless, Kyiv’s mayor remains resolute, asserting the capital will prevail only through the united effort of those who love and care for the city.
