Paris Soir - Two Russian drones hit major bridge in Kyiv

The twin strikes happened on the Southern Bridge -- a transport artery connecting the east and west of the Ukrainian capital over the Dnipro river.

Footage shared on Telegram showed an explosion near one of the bridge's support sections and thick smoke rising into the air as road traffic and Metro trains crossed.

The bridge was temporarily shut while specialists searched for structural damage, city mayor Vitali Klitschko said.

The Kyiv city administration later said an initial inspection "did not find any critical damage" and an AFP journalist reported traffic moving in both directions a few hours after the strike.

Russia has intensified drone and missile strikes against Kyiv in recent months, putting the capital on a near-constant state of alert against aerial attack.

Kyiv on Wednesday said an overnight barrage of strikes on the energy sector was the start of a deliberate campaign designed to cripple the power grid before the coming winter.

Russia has been using jet-powered attack drones that move at high speed and are harder to shoot down than the traditional models, which are based on Iranian Shaheds.

Sergiy Beskrestnov, an adviser to President Volodymyr Zelensky, said drones designed to cut electricity pylons and steel bridge structures were now being used.

"I believe that the enemy is planning to attack critical high-voltage power transmission lines," he wrote on Telegram on Wednesday, a day before the bridge attack.

Moscow has acknowledged deliberately targeting Ukraine's energy sector -- a tactic it has used repeatedly since its full-scale invasion in February 2022.

Ukraine's nuclear safety watchdog said a Russian drone hit the grounds of the Institute for Nuclear Research in Kyiv on Wednesday but the facility's test reactor was undamaged.

"The fire that resulted from the attack was quickly extinguished. There were no injuries," the regulator said in a statement on Thursday.

"The reactor itself and systems important for safety were not damaged. No changes in radiation levels have been recorded. They remain within the natural background range."

The reactor has been shut down since 2022, it added.

- Power cuts -

Russia's increased campaign against the energy sector and wider civilian infrastructure has prompted many in Ukraine to weigh up their options as winter approaches.

Heating and power were cut for days on end last year as temperatures plunged to -20C. Prime Minister Sergiy Koretsky this week suggested vulnerable and disabled people should consider relocating.

Strikes in recent days have caused power outages in several regions, grid operator Ukrenergo said, and urged consumers to limit usage even as demand increases with colder weather.

Affected regions include Kharkiv in the east, Chernigiv and Sumy in the north, Rivne in the northwest, and Kirovograd in central Ukraine, it said.

Some emergency power cuts were put in place in Kyiv on Wednesday night.

"Where security conditions currently allow, emergency repair and restoration work is already under way," Ukrenergo said in a statement.

Ukraine's air force said the number of Russian drone strikes on the country increased in September, with 3,177 attacks up to September 29. In August, 2,850 were recorded.

Civilian infrastructure has been affected, with strikes on residential buildings, petrol stations, the rail network and warehouses.

On Thursday, Zelensky said a Russian drone hit a school in Kyiv, causing a fire and damage. Children and teachers were sheltering at the time.

"Russian scumbags continue attacking life across the country, Ukrainian children, and our schools," he wrote on X.

"Russia must be held fully accountable for this and receive a response to its strikes."

B.Mercier--PS