Attacks on bridges in Kyiv: "You have to live on somehow"

Attacks on bridges in Kiev "You have to keep living somehow" As of: October 20, 2026 • 6:23 p.m

Russia has been targeting bridges in the Ukrainian capital Kiev for weeks. The residents are trying to cope with the traffic chaos as best they can. The state of emergency is already part of everyday life.

Rush hour traffic in Kyiv. The passengers stand close together in the city bus 110. From the center it goes over the Dnipro River to the other side of the city. Hundreds of thousands commute over the bridges every day - including Andrij.

The 32-year-old baker is currently experiencing pretty full buses: "Full isn't an expression at all - the buses are just packed. And you can't always get in. This morning, for example, a bus just drove past without stopping. I was lucky on the second one."

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The reason is the increasingly violent attacks. Russia has been increasingly targeting bridges for weeks. When Chancellor Merz visited Kiev at the beginning of October, a drone hit the North Bridge. Traffic had to be rerouted, resulting in kilometers of traffic jams.

Metro connections are also canceled more often because of the attacks, and passengers have to switch to buses. Iryna is on the way to her mother. For her and many others, the feeling of constant threat is part of everyday life: "Fear has become a permanent state, so to speak. You just know that something could happen all the time. People somehow get used to it, but that's not normal."

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Russia's attacks are not just about the bridges themselves, says Dmytro Bespalov. The transport planning expert teaches at the Kiev National University of Construction and Architecture. Rather, Russia is targeting the entire Ukrainian economy with these attacks.

"In Kiev there is a significant imbalance between the distribution of the resident population and jobs," explains Bespalow. "Many people live on the left bank of the Dnipro, while most jobs are on the right bank."

When people no longer come to work, it affects the economy. In addition, a significant proportion of goods transported goes over the bridges.

Bespalow cannot say with certainty how dangerous the impacts are for the stability of the bridges. He believes that a few hits from drones would not cause them to collapse. However, many bridges are already in need of renovation.

"An explosion can cause damage that is not visible to the naked eye. So there can be hidden damage," said the expert. "That's why you have to observe how the bridge behaves and whether it functions within the permissible load limits." Only then can it be assessed whether it can continue to be used safely. “All of this takes time,” Bespalow continued.

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City bus 110 made its way across the bridge without incident. Bus driver Ruslan Kenja takes a short smoke break before heading back to the other side. For him, not much has changed as a result of the attacks on bridges.

"We continue to work as normal. If the bridge we drive over is closed, we drive over the north bridge and inform the passengers," he says. "And in the event of an air alarm, we use loudspeakers to announce where the nearest shelter is."

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But how serious the situation is in Kiev at the moment due to the constant air raids becomes clear when Ruslan's break is disrupted. Suddenly defensive fire is heard. A drone is nearby. "We've gotten used to it in the fifth year of the great war. You have to keep living somehow. That's why we're adapting. Even if it's psychologically difficult, we still carry on."

And then we move on: Ruslan drives back to the center of Kiev. A state of emergency has long been part of everyday life here.

This topic in the program: MDR Aktuell | News | Oct 20, 2026 | 10:11 a.m.NDR Info | News | Oct 20, 2026 | 12:47 p.m