Merz in Kyiv as Drones Strike Northern Bridge for Second Day
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz arrived in Kyiv on an unannounced visit on Sunday, 4 October, as Russian drones struck the capital's Pivnichnyi Bridge. The strike came soon after his arrival.
The Pivnichnyi, or Northern, Bridge was hit on Sunday morning, a day after it was first struck on Saturday, 3 October, according to the BBC. The Saturday attack injured two people and damaged the road surface and overhead trolleybus wires. The Sunday attack damaged a heating main. Parts of the Desnyanskyi district were left temporarily without hot water.
Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko reported both strikes on Telegram. After the Sunday strike he said emergency services were on the way. Traffic across the Northern Bridge from the east to the west bank was suspended.
The Northern Bridge was not the first Dnipro crossing to be targeted. The Pivdennyi, or Southern, Bridge was hit multiple times by Russian drones in the days before. Both bridges cross the Dnipro River and link western and eastern Kyiv. Russia said its drones hit the two bridges used to transfer Ukrainian troops and military cargo.
During his visit, Merz reaffirmed Germany's support for Ukraine and pledged more help for Ukrainian air defences, the systems that try to stop drones and missiles. On 1 October, days earlier, he had said Germany was preparing for further Russian hybrid attacks, a mix of cyberattacks, sabotage and other pressure short of open war, including serious ones, according to Reuters.
The broader context here is the overlap of infrastructure and wartime diplomacy. Like arteries, these river crossings carry civilian commuters, utility lines and military supplies at once. Damage to road decks, trolleybus wires and heating mains weakens all three together. For planners, the effects add up rather than standing alone.
Looking at what this means for Berlin and Kyiv, air defence and keeping movement open are paired. A pledge of more air-defence help answers the immediate weakness shown by repeated drone hits on large bridges that cannot be hidden. The Sunday strike drew more political attention because the chancellor was present, without changing its operational logic.
