Huge fireball erupts as Russian drone hits Kyiv bridge in daylight- video

Ukraine plans alternative Dnipro crossings amid fresh attacks

A Russian drone struck Kyiv’s Northern Bridge on Sunday, with video showing a huge fireball erupting on the key Dnipro crossing as vehicles continued to travel across it.Two people were injured in the strike, Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said, CNN reported.The strike came as German chancellor Friedrich Merz arrived in Kyiv amid air raid sirens, explosions and the activation of air defence systems. Merz travelled to the Ukrainian capital alongside German economic affairs and energy minister Katarina Reiche to meet President Volodymyr Zelenskyy amid Russia’s escalating 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.

Video footage showed the moment the Northern Bridge was hit, sending a huge plume of fire and black smoke into the sky while cars were still moving across the bridge.It was the second time the Northern Bridge had been hit in as many days. Earlier, Kyiv’s Southern Bridge, which carries road traffic and the city’s subway system, was struck five times in less than 24 hours.Ukrainian officials have warned that repeated attacks on bridges could disrupt vital transport links across the Dnipro River and effectively divide the capital.

Kyiv is split by the river, with government institutions and businesses largely on the right bank and predominantly residential areas on the left bank.Ukraine’s infrastructure minister said Sunday that Kyiv plans to build several alternative crossings over the Dnipro if attacks on the bridges continue.The latest Russian threat came after Zelenskyy said Ukraine would step up attacks on Russian oil refineries in response to Moscow’s strikes on Ukrainian energy infrastructure.