Kiev (Ukraine) (AFP) - Russia on Saturday renewed its call on diplomats and foreigners present in Kiev to leave, warning that its forces would continue to launch “large-scale retaliatory strikes” on the Ukrainian capital, which has been targeted for weeks.

Published on: 03/10/2026 - 16:50

In a statement, the Russian Foreign Ministry repeated a similar warning issued in May, calling on “foreign nationals and diplomats in Kiev to leave the city.”

“The responsibility for any negative consequences lies entirely with those who ignore this warning,” the ministry added, declaring that “Russian forces will continue to launch large-scale retaliatory strikes” against “military targets in Kiev and other Ukrainian cities.”

Western governments supporting Ukraine ignored a similar warning sent by Moscow months ago, while about 50 countries in the United Nations described these messages as “threats” to diplomats in Kiev.

In recent weeks, the Ukrainian capital has been subjected to almost daily attacks with drones, some of which are difficult to intercept, at a time when Ukraine is facing a shortage of air defense means.

An important bridge was targeted in Kiev on Saturday morning, while on Friday the capital witnessed a stifling traffic jam as a result of attacks by Russian marches that targeted another bridge used to cross the Dnieper River.

Stifling traffic jam

Kiev Mayor Vitali Klitschko announced on Saturday morning that the North Bridge, one of the eight bridges over the Dnieper River, had been targeted by Russian strikes.

He pointed out that the road surface and electric bus cables on the bridge were damaged, which was closed to traffic.

This is the second major bridge in Kiev to be targeted in recent days, after the South Bridge was attacked on Thursday and Friday by Russian marches, which led to its closure to traffic and caused a stifling traffic jam in the city, which is divided by the Dnieper River.

These are the first major attacks on a major bridge in Kiev since the Russian invasion began in February 2022.

On Friday, Klitschko described the situation in the capital as “very tragic,” noting that Moscow was “tearing Kiev apart” by attacking its bridges and energy infrastructure.

Ukraine and Russia have significantly intensified their long-range strikes in recent months, resulting in an increasing number of civilian casualties. In Kiev, sirens sound to warn of air threats almost around the clock.

As for the Russian strikes on Ukraine, they caused the country's metallurgical sector to stop, and dealt a major blow to Kiev's agricultural exports, which are essential to the economy. The targets also included gas stations, shopping centers, data centers, and telecommunications companies.

Ukraine responded by launching attacks on oil refineries and warehouses in Russia, which caused a fuel crisis this summer, in addition to targeting the warehouses of the e-commerce companies “Wildberries” and “Ozone.”

Hard winter

After a 40-day operation that he launched this summer in a fruitless attempt to cause significant damage to the Russian economy, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has since intensified his calls to stop the strikes.

His Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, rejected this idea on Thursday. “They tell us: ‘Stop hitting your refineries,’ and you stop hitting their ships,” he said during the Valdai Political Forum. “This is simply ridiculous.”

With the advent of winter, the Ukrainian authorities fear that Russia will deal strong blows to the country's energy infrastructure.

During the winter of 2025, Russia destroyed Ukrainian power plants, sometimes cutting out power to millions of people.

“The Ukrainians realize that this winter could be very tough on us,” Zelensky said during the UN General Assembly in late September. “In the face of that, we will have no choice but to make it tough on Russia as well.”

© 2026 AFP

The content you want to browse is no longer in service or is currently unavailable.