Russia attacked several times South Bridge of Kyivstopping the movement of the metro and ground transport, but it was not possible to achieve rapid destruction of the structure.
The reason is simple: the bridge, built back in Soviet times, is a massive structure with a large margin of safety. But this does not mean that the attacks will stop.
Briefly about the main thing
- On October 1, Russian drones struck several times in the area of the South Bridge supports;
- subway and surface transport were temporarily stopped;
- no critical damage to the structure was recorded after the first impacts;
- analysts admit the use of new cumulative combat units weighing about 40 kg;
- Serious damage to such an object would require multiple precise hits;
- the military task may not be a complete collapse, but a long-term closure of the crossing and disruption of the logistics of Kyiv.
Attacks on the South Bridge are becoming systematic
On October 1, Russian drones attacked the area of the Southern Bridge over the Dnieper several times. The mayor of Kyiv, Vitaliy Klitschko, reported hits in the area of the supporting part of the structure.
❗️ Kyiv’s Pivdennyi Bridge caught fire after a Russian attack
Two Russian drones struck near the support section of the Pivdennyi Bridge.
Following the attack, metro services and surface public transport across the bridge were temporarily suspended.
Specialists from… https://t.co/6bICAFfGbY pic.twitter.com/V4FN6oS9et
— NEXTA (@nexta_tv) October 1, 2026
? Three major bridges in Kyiv are paralyzed this morning
Following the overnight Russian attack, traffic on the Pivdennyi Bridge and Paton Bridge was completely shut in both directions, while the Metro Bridge was closed toward the right bank. Public transport is being rerouted… https://t.co/teyIdBJkBi pic.twitter.com/lyEE68A7nd
— NEXTA (@nexta_tv) October 2, 2026
? Breaking?
More strikes on Kievs major suspension Bridge by Russian advanced “Cutter” geran 5 jet drones
They seem to be targeting the massive cable stays supprting the span. https://t.co/rriR5fzqLw pic.twitter.com/rH9mEKArfa
— Chay Bowes (@BowesChay) October 2, 2026
After the strikes, subway and surface public transport were temporarily stopped to examine the structure.
Later, damage to the road part and individual elements of the metro infrastructure was reported. At the same time, the bridge itself did not lose its load-bearing capacity.
“Made in the USSR” – and this is really important
The South Bridge was built back in the Soviet period as a large transport facility, which simultaneously carries vehicular traffic and a metro line.
That is why an attempt to disable it with a few relatively small combat units faces a simple engineering problem: the bridge is too massive.
A single hit on or near a concrete support can damage the surface, fences, utility systems or road surface, but this does not mean destruction of the main load-bearing element.
After the first strikes, Ukrainian specialists reported no critical damage, and traffic was partially restored.
Russia seems to be looking for weak points
Against this background, reports of new variants of Russian attack UAVs are attracting more and more attention.
The American Institute for the Study of War, citing Ukrainian specialist Sergei Beskrestnov, writes that Russia could start using Geran-type jet drones cumulative warheads weighing about 40 kg.
Such charges are designed to more effectively destroy steel, reinforced concrete, supports and other reinforced structures.
At the same time, analysts emphasize: in order to cause serious damage to such an object, it is necessary repeated accurate hits on vulnerable points in a short period of time. One or two drones will not solve this problem.
400–500 drones? This is just an estimate for now
In the Russian military blog segment and among individual commentators, estimates have emerged that in order to ensure the destruction of the South Bridge, it may be necessary several hundred attack drones — up to 400–500 devices.
There is no independent confirmation of this figure, so it should be taken as an expert assessment, and not as an established calculation.
According to the same estimates, such an operation could cost about $20–30 millionwhereas the construction of a similar bridge would cost several times more.
The military logic in this calculation is clear: if relatively cheap ammunition is capable of decommissioning a large infrastructure facility for a long time, the target becomes economically attractive.
It is not necessary to destroy the bridge
The main thing here is different: to achieve military effect it is not necessary to collapse the entire bridge to the Dnieper.
It is enough to regularly damage individual elements so that the authorities stop traffic every time, carry out inspections and repairs.
This is exactly what happened after the first attacks: the closure of the South Bridge immediately caused transport problems and additional load on other crossings across the Dnieper.
Why bridges are so important for Kyiv
The Dnieper actually divides Kyiv into two large parts. A significant part of the population lives on the left bank, while most of the administrative, business and work centers are located on the right.
Therefore, even the temporary closure of one large crossing automatically overloads the remaining bridges and creates many kilometers of traffic jams.
If the attacks become systematic and simultaneously affect several crossings, the consequences will go far beyond inconvenience for motorists – we will already be talking about violation of urban and military logistics.
Paton Bridge is an even more vulnerable object
A separate issue is the technical condition of other Kyiv bridges.
Especially often mentioned Paton Bridgebuilt in 1953. Even before the current war, its condition was repeatedly called problematic due to deterioration of structures and many years of lack of timely repairs.
That is, part of Kyiv’s bridge infrastructure approached the current war with accumulated technical problems.
New battle for bridges across the Dnieper?
It is premature to say that Russia is capable of quickly “cutting Kyiv in half.” The South Bridge showed high stability even after several hits.
However, the nature of the impacts is changing: more and more attention is being paid specific transport hubs and reinforced structures.
If a series of repeated precision attacks with new combat units follow, bridges across the Dnieper could become one of the main objects of confrontation around the Ukrainian capital.
Editorial commentary from the Athens News. The story of the South Bridge clearly shows the difference between a spectacular picture of a hit and the real destruction of a complex engineering object. The Soviet safety margin is still working. But modern warfare makes it possible not necessarily to destroy a bridge with one blow – it is enough to methodically force the enemy to close it, check it and repair it again and again. In this case, the main weapon becomes not the power of a single explosion, but the number and accuracy of repeated strikes.
Video of the moment of impact on the South Bridge: TSN.
Details and videos of the first hits: Pronews.
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