Kyiv came to a standstill in kilometer-long traffic jams after bridges were closed following overnight Russian strikes
Kyiv • UNN
After the strike on the Pivdennyi Bridge, Kyiv faced kilometer-long traffic jams and queues for public transport. Traffic on several bridges was restricted.
Kilometer-long traffic jams are being reported in Kyiv following a nighttime strike on the Pivdennyi Bridge, which was completely closed as a result. Traffic on Paton Bridge from the right bank to the left bank was fully restricted. Metro Bridge was closed in the direction of the right bank, reports UNN.
Details
On the morning of Friday, October 2, Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko reported that, according to law enforcement officials, the Pivdennyi Bridge had been completely closed to traffic in both directions.
Traffic has been partially restricted to one lane on Metro Bridge from the left bank to the right bank, while traffic on Paton Bridge from the right bank to the left bank has been completely restricted.
Klitschko did not specify the reason; however, the Pivdennyi Bridge was likely closed because it was hit by an enemy drone. i
The bridge closures caused a transport collapse in Kyiv, effectively paralyzing the city, while hundreds of people waited in queues for public transport. Some even decided not to stand in line and instead walked from the right bank to the left bank.
Kyivpastrans reported that buses No. 51, 55, 115, 118-D and trolleybuses No. 43 and 50 had resumed service along their regular routes, which pass over Paton Bridge; however, transport is operating behind schedule.
Kyivpastrans also added that buses No. 22 and 91 from the left bank to the right bank of Kyiv are temporarily operating via Darnytskyi Bridge.
Route toward the right bank: Mykola Bazhan Avenue − Dnipro Embankment – Bereznykivska Street – Yuri Shumskyi Street – Petro Radzinia Street − Darnytskyi road-and-rail bridge – Nadniprianske Highway – Mykola Mykhnovskyi Boulevard – Holosiivskyi Avenue, then along their regular routes.
Analysts at the Institute for the Study of War believe that Russia seeks to block transport flows between the right and left banks of the Dnipro by carrying out repeated precision strikes on the same location.
The Russian strike on the Pivdennyi Bridge is part of a broader Russian campaign targeting civilian infrastructure, involving both daytime and nighttime strikes aimed at making life in Kyiv more difficult and disrupting the city’s everyday functioning. The strike also aims to undermine Ukraine’s economy by blocking the movement of people and cargo through the city. Russian forces may be using shaped charges on their long-range drones to strike large, fortified targets such as the Pivdennyi Bridge, but causing significant damage in this way would require repeated, precise strikes over a short period of time