The key facts

  • Five injured, including a child; the Northern Bridge and energy facilities in Kyiv and the Zhytomyr region damaged
  • The bridge is closed to traffic; five cars in a nearby parking lot were damaged
  • The US approved a $2.1 billion Patriot PAC-3 package, but Zelensky says deliveries could take years

Aftermath of the overnight attack

Overnight strikes on the Kyiv region left five people injured, including a child, and damaged a bridge and energy facilities, authorities said. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko stated that energy infrastructure in the Kyiv and Zhytomyr regions had been damaged, and that the capital itself was experiencing disruptions to heating and water supply systems. “The situation with the capital’s power supply is extremely difficult,” he wrote on Telegram (as reported by Euronews).

Closed bridge and Zelensky’s response

According to Klitschko, the Northern Bridge (Pivnichnyi) was damaged in the attack: it is closed to traffic in both directions while specialists assess the condition of the structure. Later, the mayor posted a video reporting damage to the bridge’s surface, as well as to the trolleybus overhead lines and a power line. The blast wave damaged five cars in a parking lot near the bridge.

Context: the request for Patriots

President Volodymyr Zelensky warned on Friday evening of new strikes on energy and civilian infrastructure and again called for accelerating deliveries of Patriot interceptor missiles. “Russia’s tactics are aimed at destroying power grids, transformers and distribution units,” he said in a video address, adding that even with sufficient generation capacity, some regions face shortages. The US State Department recently approved a $2.1 billion package of Patriot PAC-3 interceptors, but according to Zelensky, deliveries could take years. He also said he had spoken with the team responsible for long-range strikes on Russia, and that Russia “will receive our response.” Euronews notes that since the start of the full-scale invasion in February 2022, Russia has repeatedly attacked Ukraine’s power grid, specifically during winter periods.