Key events
Attack on Kyiv as Merz arrives shows upsurge in Russian attacks on capital
The North Bridge – one of several connecting central historic Kyiv to the residential suburbs across the Dnipro river -was struck not long after the German chancellor’s arrival in the Ukrainian capital.
The incident has been confirmed by Kyiv’s mayor Vitali Klitschko this morning who wrote on Telegram: “Impact on the road surface of the Northern Bridge. Emergency services are heading to the scene.”
There’s no word of casualties yet. Pictures and footage being shared online appears to show a missile slamming into the cable bridge and the resulting fireball explosion.
It follows strikes by the Russians on the South Bridge on Friday and Saturday, and several earlier this week that had shut three of the city’s six road bridges over the Dnipro.
Merz has arrived in the thick of it, as Kyiv, which was largely spared direct aerial strikes in the first years of the war has increasingly come under attack since April.
The Russians have launched strikes day and night, hitting schools, petrol strations, government buildings and churches as well as rails and communication infrastructure.
Opening summary
Good morning and welcome to our Europe live blog, I’m Frances Mao.
We begin in Kyiv where one of Ukraine’s strongest European backers, the German chancellor Friedrich Merz, has arrived this morning in an unannounced visit.
Soon after his arrival, the Russians struck the city’s North Bridge, just a ۲۰-minutes drive from the central railway station where Merz had pulled into.
Sirens have rung out across the city and smoke can still be seen rising from the Dnieper River bridge. Yesterday, Russian drones also struck another bridge, causing injuries; the Kremlin has stepped up attacks on the capital this year and Ukrainians say they are steeling for another autumn blitz ahead of a tough winter.
“Ukraine is facing decisive weeks. That is why I travelled to Kyiv today with the message: you can rely on us,” Merz has written on X. He’s brought several German defence manufacturers with him and is expected to meet with Zelenskyy.
Elsewhere across the continent today, Bosnians are voting in a national election likely to determine the course of their strained EU accension path so far.
And I’ll also bring you an update on the rent protests we saw across Spain’s largest cities yesterday.
