Russian strikes hit Kyiv's Southern Bridge again as drone attack kills one in high-rise

Russian air strikes have again hit the Southern Bridge in the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv, mayor Vitali Klitschko said on Telegram on Friday, as Moscow continued its nearly daily bombardment of the city.

On Thursday, Russian drones had already smashed into a Kyiv school and the Southern Bridge over the Dnipro River, triggering fires in the capital. Friday’s repeat strike prompted authorities to close traffic across the Southern Bridge and the Paton Bridge in both directions, redirecting transport via alternative routes.

A fire also broke out in the top floors of an apartment building in Kyiv, Klitschko added, alongside damage in another part of the city.

The attack was part of a wider overnight Russian aerial assault involving more than 100 strike drones, nearly 50 of them jet-powered, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said. A drone struck a 25-storey residential building in Kyiv’s Darnytskyi district, sparking a fire across about 120 square metres on the 24th and 25th floors, Ukraine’s State Emergency Service reported. One body was recovered during firefighting operations, two injured people were rescued and six other residents were evacuated.

Zelenskyy said Ukrainian forces intercepted most of the incoming drones, though several strikes were recorded. He said Russia’s ability to scale up drone and missile production still depends heavily on foreign-made components, and urged stronger sanctions: “If the Kremlin has chosen more strikes, sanctions must work and be strengthened.”

In Russia, Ukrainian drones targeted industrial facilities in Volgograd, home to a large oil refinery, sparking a fire and leaving one person injured after hitting an apartment building, a local governor said.