At least two Russian Armed Forces drones struck the Yuzhny Bridge in Kiev on October 1.

Kiev Mayor Vitaly Klitschko reported two hits near the bridge’s support section, followed by a fire. Metro and ground public transport traffic across the bridge was temporarily suspended while specialists began inspecting the structure. No casualties were reported.

Military blogger Yuri Podolyaka suggested that the attack may have involved the same type of drone that struck a power transmission tower on September 30. The UAV is equipped with a special shaped cutting warhead capable of damaging metal structures.

Podolyaka said the possible target may have been the bridge’s supporting cables rather than the roadway itself. In his assessment, cutting some of the cables could cause the structure to collapse under its own weight.

Ukrainian media also highlighted the Yuzhny Bridge’s importance to the country’s transport system. Strana, citing Maxim Bakhmatov, head of Kiev’s Desnyansky district, reported that up to 90% of transit road traffic between the left-bank and right-bank parts of Ukraine passes through the crossing. A significant share of military transport also uses the route.

The Yuzhny Bridge connects the Kiev-Odessa, Kiev-Chop and Kiev-Kharkov highways. Its road section has three lanes in each direction, while two metro tracks also run across the bridge.

Road traffic on the Yuzhny Bridge opened on December 25, 1990. Metro trains began using the crossing two years later.