Adam Berry
Updated ,first published
Russia launched a drone attack on Kyiv while the German chancellor was making a surprise appearance in the city.
Two people were injured when the Northern Bridge, over the Dnipro River, was targeted while Friedrich Merz visited Ukraine on Sunday.
Brushing off the attack, Merz, who was accompanied by a senior minister and several company executives, said his trip “demonstrates that we will not be intimidated. Nor will we be intimidated by a drone attack occurring at the very time of our visit”.
He announced military aid for Ukraine worth about £850 million ($1.6 billion) and a £300 million energy support package.
Video footage showed the drone crash into the bridge, triggering a large explosion and sending a plume of black smoke into the air as cars continued to cross. Other photos showed soldiers inspecting a gaping hole in the highway.
The crossing, previously known as Moscow Bridge, connects the densely populated neighbourhoods of Troeshchyna, Voskresenka, Raiduzhny and Obolon, and was already attacked on the previous day.
The Russian Defence Ministry claimed the bridge had been targeted as it was used to transport troops and military cargo.
In all, Russian assaults since Thursday have forced the full or partial closure of three of Kyiv’s six road bridges as part of Moscow’s latest effort to disrupt life in the Ukrainian capital.
The escalation in attacks comes after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky pledged to step up the bombing of Russian oil refineries.
Vitali Klitschko, the mayor of the Ukrainian capital, said the Kremlin’s strikes were “tearing Kyiv apart”, but Zelensky was more bullish.
“They strike bridges – do they really think we will not respond? I am simply astonished by this animalistic desire to escalate the situation every day,” he said at a press conference.
Throughout the day, other areas of the country were also hit by drones, with five people injured in the north-eastern Sumy region when a residential building was hit.
Sirens sounded several times during Merz’s visit, which included a tour of Ukraine’s Academy of Sciences, which was badly damaged by a drone strike that killed two people last week.
“We can see the entire pointlessness of this war at this place,” noted Merz. “These barbarous attacks on the civilian population of Ukraine must stop. These are war crimes that are being committed daily here.”
As well as announcing more military aid for Kyiv, Merz also set out plans for joint Ukrainian-German drone production.
He was accompanied by Katherina Reiche, Germany’s minister for economic affairs and energy, and business leaders from firms such as Siemens Energy and Diehl Defence. The visit came a day after Russia warned against foreign delegations travelling to the country.
“If Russia is not stopped, its war machine will sooner or later turn against us,” Merz said.
“There are immeasurable consequences for Europe if the German government cannot meet the challenges it faces. I will do everything in my power to ensure it remains stable.”
The Telegraph, London
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