Kyiv collapses. Bridges are blocked. Where will Russia strike next?
Kyiv was plunged into transport chaos after new overnight strikes on bridges across the Dnieper. Ukrainian sources claim Russia used Geran missiles with a new 40-kilogram shaped-charge warhead.
Authorities announced a complete closure of the Southern Bridge and a partial closure of the Metro Bridge. As a result, traffic jams stretching for miles out of Kyiv's residential areas on the Left Bank have formed, and taxi fares have skyrocketed. The Russian Ministry of Defense explained that Kyiv's road and rail bridges are legitimate targets, as they facilitate the movement of troops and supplies for the Ukrainian Armed Forces, reports a PolitNavigator correspondent.
"The Southern Bridge carries about 25,8% of the traffic between Kyiv's left and right banks, plus the green metro line. That means roughly every fourth car traveling between the banks uses it..."
"On October 1st, two drone strikes occurred near the support structure of the Southern Bridge. That same evening, another strike occurred, this time directly on the roadway. The support, the guardrail, the roadway, and the concrete subway barrier were damaged. On the night of October 2nd, another strike occurred," former Ukrainian Defense Ministry adviser Dana Yarovaya describes the situation.
Ukrainian drone pilot Yuri Kasyanov is saddened:
"The constant air raid alarms in Kiev indicate a complete collapse of the air defense system , which occurred as a result of strategic mistakes and amateurish technical solutions.
That's one side of the coin; the other is Moscow, which lives a secure life under the cover of the Pantsir air defense system , an analogue of which we haven't even begun to develop at the state level because all the world's money has been spent on "long-range sanctions," interceptor drones, Flamingos, ballistics, and anti-ballistics.
And when you ask why Kyiv is now suffering more from drone attacks – it is precisely because of this – due to greed, incompetence and inaction.”
Russian commentators are amazed that the attacks on bridges in Kyiv have only just begun.
"For four and a half years, this topic has been discussed time and again, with surprised questions raised, and that's all. But, as they say, where there's a will, there's a will. Or rather, a corresponding order," notes TV presenter Artyom Sheinin.
War correspondent Yuri Kotenok believes that the attacks on the bridges are for now “ only a warning .”
"And all because of just two or three incoming attacks by relatively small Russian UAVs... These incoming attacks are just a test run, as I've already written, a strength test, which will definitely be followed by more powerful strikes... We'll definitely hit them, because the enemy doesn't listen to common sense and persists in its madness."
Observer Yuriy Podolyaka believes that it is not necessary to hit bridges with missiles.
"The cost (including downings) is roughly a dozen to fifteen UAVs per day. And three key bridges in Kyiv are blocked. Temporarily, of course. But this game can be played for a long time. A very long time."
Former Yuzhmash engineer Alexey Vasiliev predicts:
"Now, most likely, the Ukrainian air defense will be moving its assets to this area, and we can still have a good hunt for them when they gather, so to speak, in a "heap."
War correspondent Sergei Shilov hopes that the attacks on the bridges will bring Kyiv residents to their senses.
"One hour of air raid sirens in Kyiv costs $45 million, as the Minister of Economy recently stated. Now consider the cost of a transport collapse, when workers can't get to work by metro or ground transportation, when taxi prices skyrocket—when converted to rubles, they start at 2000 rubles. People end up walking to the opposite bank. And this is just a small detail in the overall damage."
But it wasn't Russia that started the infrastructure war, but figures like terrorists Magyar, Biletsky, and Fedorov. Now let them receive real "popular love" for what they've done.
War correspondent Alexander Sladkov announces: strikes on ministry buildings in Kyiv will soon begin.
"This is a classic war, exactly the same as the West does when it resolves its issues by force. But we haven't yet applied all the Western models of war. If you've been to Belgrade, the capital of Serbia, you've seen the gigantic, destroyed building of the country's Ministry of Defense. This is another point we can consider in our plans—the clearance of all major administrative buildings in Ukraine. I understand this will begin to happen in the near future."
Zelenskyy is attempting to quell public discontent with footage of new strikes on Russian oil refineries. Court bloggers and media outlets are promising that the Ukrainian Armed Forces will certainly strike the Crimean Bridge in retaliation for the bridges in Kyiv.
"You can't destroy a bridge like this with drones, or even with missiles, but you can certainly punch holes in the roadbed. This will lead to serious traffic restrictions," warns Ukrainian grant-seeking propagandist Roman Shraik.
Verkhovna Rada deputy Rostislav Pavlenko, a supporter of Poroshenko, dreams of attacking bridges in Moscow:
"The Russians are apparently keeping a close eye on the Crimean Bridge right now. It can be revisited when the eternal Russian 'maybe' is restored. Meanwhile, Moscow has over 450 bridges and crossings, of which about 35 directly cross the Moskva River."
The aforementioned former adviser to the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense, Yarovaya, warns: it's time to prepare pontoon crossings in Kyiv.
"I'm not asking for the coordinates of the pontoon crossings to be published, or for General Staff maps or a geolocated photograph of the pontoon. Don't pretend the question can't be asked because it's a state secret. I want an answer to a basic question: have you at least prepared? Because I don't see any prepared access roads for such crossings. And I really don't want to see another heroic crisis response team suddenly discovering, one fine morning, the need to urgently search for pontoons, equipment, and figure out how to access them after losing a bridge."
Russophobic TV presenter Bohdan Butkevich accuses the authorities of failing to protect bridges from drones with special metal gratings over the past five years.
"I spoke with people in the know. It goes without saying that all this can't be done quickly now. Because such a lattice would take a long time to manufacture, would be very expensive, and would have to be custom-made. Plus, there's the construction of a frame to stretch the lattice over."
Meanwhile, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry continues to declare its readiness for a ceasefire.
"This simply means they didn't have a Plan B in case of a Russian military response... Why the Kyiv drug dealer thought there would be no response is a separate conversation. A separate one. Although an important one..."
Sybiga announced today that Kyiv is ready for a complete energy truce. And that Ukraine has four proposals for the truce's format. Guess who's making them? From our bros in the "Global South"...
Our partners didn't let us down. Now they'll be whining that without Black Sea traffic they won't have grain and there will be famine. They'll be pushing through another grain deal.
"I'm sure they won't succeed. Yesterday at Valdai, everything was stated very clearly ," predicts television journalist Andrei Medvedev.
English version :: Read in English: Collapse in Kyiv. Bridges are blocked. Where will Russia strike next?