Kyiv bridges shut after Russian drone strikes amid fresh partial truce push

Russian aerial attacks forced the full or partial closure of three road bridges in Kyiv on Friday, in what appeared to be Moscow’s latest attempt to disrupt daily life in the Ukrainian capital. At the same time, Ukraine’s top diplomat said Kyiv has received separate proposals from the United States, India, Turkey and Egypt for a partial truce focused on energy infrastructure and Black Sea shipping.

The overnight attacks came as the aerial war between the two sides has intensified in recent months, while fighting along the roughly 1,250-kilometre front line across northern, eastern and southern Ukraine has become virtually deadlocked. Even so, Ukraine has made some gains this year against Russia’s bigger army, according to the Institute for the Study of War.

Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said the Russian strikes led to the full or partial closure of three of the city’s six road bridges over the Dnipro River, causing major traffic jams. The strikes appeared to mark a new tactic in Russia’s campaign against the city’s residents. Earlier attacks had hit apartment blocks, supermarket warehouses, petrol stations and data centres, among other targets.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russia fired more than 100 drones at Ukraine overnight, hitting Kyiv and eight other regions. He said almost half of the drones were jet-powered models that are especially difficult to stop. A drone struck a high-rise apartment block in Kyiv, killing one person, while at least four people were reported wounded elsewhere.

Zelenskyy again urged other countries to close loopholes in international sanctions on Russia and impose further trade restrictions. He said Russia’s drones and missiles are “critically dependent” on foreign components. “Every Russian drone can actually be stopped right at the production line,” Zelenskyy said in a post on X.

Ukraine has also stepped up long-range drone and missile attacks on Russia, targeting military manufacturing plants and oil refineries. Russia’s Defence Ministry said on Friday that its air defences shot down 646 Ukrainian drones overnight over Russian regions, occupied Crimea, the Sea of Azov and the Black Sea. In Russia’s southwestern Volgograd region, Governor Andrei Bocharov said one person was wounded in an attack targeting “industrial infrastructure”, without giving details.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said Kyiv is ready to accept a limited ceasefire if it covers both Russian attacks on Ukraine’s power grid and Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil refineries, as well as attacks on cargo vessels exporting grain and other agricultural products through the Black Sea. “We are ready for an energy and Black Sea ceasefire, but only in that combination. Energy and a ceasefire in the Black Sea,” Sybiha told reporters on Thursday, in remarks released on Friday.

Sybiha said this was the first time India had offered to play a role in such efforts. He also repeated Ukraine’s offer of an unconditional ceasefire on the front line. Moscow, however, has rejected a ceasefire, saying a comprehensive peace deal must be agreed instead of a temporary truce. India is trying to balance its ties with Russia and its growing partnerships with the United States and other Western powers. A new US sanctions package on Russia could impose tariffs of up to 100 per cent on New Delhi as a major buyer of Russian oil.

On the battlefield, the Washington-based Institute for the Study of War said in a report late on Thursday that Russian forces lost control of nearly 300 square kilometres between March and September. It also said the Russian military suffered more than 46,000 casualties in September, the highest monthly figure this year. The report did not say how many Ukrainian troops were killed or wounded.

Sybiha said Ukraine is seeking around 300 Patriot missiles from partner countries because intelligence estimates suggest Russia has 600 ballistic missiles in reserve and can produce up to 140 ballistic missiles a month. He said Ukraine also urgently needs funding to secure future drone production so that there are no supply gaps at the start of next year. Kyiv is facing a projected budget deficit of about USD 27 billion this year, although the European Union has promised to help meet its financial needs and strengthen its defence. Russia, too, is facing economic and financial pressure from high military spending and debt.

The latest attacks on Kyiv, the discussion around a limited truce, and Ukraine’s fresh calls for more weapons and funding underlined how the war remains intense, with both sides trying to pressure each other militarily while diplomatic options remain limited.