On Saturday, Russia renewed its call for diplomats and foreign nationals to leave the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, and vowed to continue what it described as “large-scale retaliatory strikes”, as at least 6 people were killed in Russian attacks across Ukraine.
Russian warning and traffic suspension in Kyiv
The Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement that it had repeated its warning to the diplomatic corps, calling on “foreign nationals and diplomats in Kyiv to leave the city”. Russian attacks damaged Kyiv’s Northern Bridge, suspending traffic and causing vehicle congestion in the capital for the third consecutive day, as part of Moscow’s efforts to disrupt life in the city.
The bridge was targeted two days after Russian attacks caused the full or partial closure of three of Kyiv’s six bridges over the Dnipro River. Russia had previously targeted residential complexes, warehouses belonging to major retailers, petrol stations and data centres, among other sites. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said the attack on the Northern Bridge damaged the road surface and the cables of trolleybuses, prompting the suspension of traffic over it.
He said there had been no reports of casualties resulting from the attack on the bridge itself. The Russian Defence Ministry claimed responsibility for the latest attack, saying the bridge was used to facilitate the movement of troops and logistics linked to the transport of military supplies to the Ukrainian armed forces.
In a separate development, the TASS news agency reported on Saturday, citing a Russian-appointed official serving as governor of the parts of Ukraine’s southeastern Zaporizhzhia region under Russian control, that one person had been killed and 10 others injured in a drone attack in the area.
