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Traffic chaos in Kyiv after Russian strikes hit key bridge

• 3 min read
Traffic chaos in Kyiv after Russian strikes hit key bridge
A man talks on the phone while watching motorists stuck in traffic jams in Kyiv (Tetiana Dzhafarova / AFP)

Russian strikes have forced the closure of a key bridge in Kyiv, causing major traffic jams across the capital and disrupting public transport between the city's eastern and western banks, city authorities said on Oct. 2.

The Kyiv City Military Administration said on Oct. 2 that the Southern Bridge was closed in both directions. Some public buses were rerouted via the Darnytskyi Bridge.

According to Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko, movement on the Metro Bridge is limited to one lane from the eastern bank toward the western bank, while traffic on the Paton Bridge is fully restricted from the western bank toward the eastern bank.

Amid the disruption, some Kyiv residents were crossing the Dnipro River bridges on foot as traffic remained heavily congested, the social media footage showed.

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Motorists are stuck in traffic jams in Kyiv on October 2, 2026, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Traffic was gridlocked in Kyiv on Oct. 2, 2026 (Tetiana Dzhafarova / AFP via Getty Images)

The Southern Bridge, which carries both road traffic and the metro across the Dnipro, was struck multiple times on Oct. 1 and early Oct. 2. Its road surface, a bridge support, a guardrail, and a protective concrete structure around the metro line were damaged in the attacks.

Russian drones struck near the bridge's supports at around 11:30 a.m. on Oct. 1 while cars and a metro train were crossing, according to Klitschko. Traffic was temporarily halted, but city officials later said a preliminary inspection found no critical structural damage and reopened the bridge.

The bridge was hit again overnight on Oct. 2, with the latest strike damaging a bridge support, part of the road surface, a barrier and a protective concrete structure around the metro line, Klitschko said.

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Motorists stuck in traffic jams in Kyiv on October 2, 2026, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Traffic was gridlocked in Kyiv on Oct. 2, 2026 (Tetiana Dzhafarova / AFP via Getty Images)

Emergency crews were sent to the site and the metro tracks were de-energized. Traffic, including metro and surface public transport, was subsequently suspended.

A Russian overnight attack on Kyiv killed one person and injured two others, local authorities reported early on Oct. 2.

Kyiv has faced repeated Russian attacks in recent days. A large-scale Russian missile and drone attack beginning on Sept. 30 killed four people and injured at least eight, while also damaging residential and energy infrastructure in the capital.

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Yuliia Taradiuk

Reporter

Yuliia Taradiuk is a Ukrainian reporter at the Kyiv Independent. She has been working with Lutsk-based misto.media, telling stories of Ukrainian fighters for the "All are gone to the front" project. She has experience as a freelance culture reporter, and a background in urbanism and activism, working for multiple Ukrainian NGOs. Yuliia holds B.A. degree in English language and literature from Lesya Ukrainka Volyn National University, she studied in Germany and Lithuania.

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