Kyiv was paralyzed by traffic jams after Russian strikes hit the Pivdenny bridge, Le Monde.fr reported on Friday. The bridge was closed following the attacks, leaving the Ukrainian capital's roads severely congested.
The city's mayor described Kyiv as being in a dramatic situation, according to accounts carried by 20minutes.fr, RFI and ouest-france.fr. The reports gave no immediate details on casualties or the extent of the damage to the crossing.
The bridge closure left drivers facing what ouest-france.fr described as monstrous traffic jams across the capital. The Pivdenny bridge is a key crossing in Kyiv, and its loss of use pushed traffic onto other routes, according to the reports.
The strikes were part of continued Russian attacks on Ukraine. Separately, Slate.fr reported that Russia is seeking to cut internet access in Ukraine but is targeting the wrong infrastructure — an assessment of Moscow's efforts to disrupt Ukrainian communications.
The reports did not specify what weapons were used in the strikes on the bridge or whether anyone was injured. Le Monde.fr's live coverage placed the traffic disruption at the center of Friday's developments in the capital.
Attention now turns to whether the bridge can be reopened and how quickly traffic in Kyiv returns to normal, along with any further official statements from Ukrainian authorities on the damage and on the wider campaign against the country's infrastructure.
