Five killed as Kyiv and Moscow trade strikes, Russia hits second bridge
A series of long-range strikes by both Kyiv and Moscow has killed at least five people and injured others across Ukraine and bordering Russian regions, authorities and media reported. Russia also struck Kyiv’s Northern Bridge — the second attack on a major Kyiv bridge in two days — and hit a Liberian-flagged ship off Odesa, killing one crew member and injuring three.
Why It Matters
The incidents reflect an escalation in long-range attacks targeting civilian infrastructure, maritime traffic and cross-border areas, compounding humanitarian and economic disruption such as an effective blockade of Black Sea ports. They also underscore continued risks to foreign diplomats and civil transport amid five years of war and intensified strike campaigns on both sides.
Key Facts
- Total reported killed: At least five people
- Ship attack (Odesa region): Liberian-flagged vessel; 1 killed, 3 injured, 12 crew evacuated (Ukraine Sea Ports Authority)
- Kyiv bridge strike: Russia struck Kyiv's Northern Bridge, injuring two; second Kyiv bridge hit in two days
- Luhansk: Moscow-installed governor reported 2 killed in a Ukrainian strike
- Zaporizhia (occupied): Russian-installed authorities reported 1 killed and 10 injured in a Ukrainian drone attack
Long-range strikes by both Russian and Ukrainian forces on Saturday resulted in civilian casualties and damage across multiple regions, officials and local authorities said. Ukrainian maritime authorities reported that a Liberian-flagged ship off the Odesa region was attacked, leaving one crew member dead, three injured and 12 others evacuated to safety.
In the capital, Russian forces struck Kyiv’s Northern Bridge, wounding two people. Authorities noted this was the second attack on a major Kyiv bridge within two days. Elsewhere, Russian and Ukrainian sources reported fatalities tied to cross-border and occupied-region strikes: two people killed in a Ukrainian strike on the Russia-occupied Luhansk region according to the Moscow-installed governor, and one person killed with 10 injured in a Ukrainian drone attack on the occupied Zaporizhia region per local Russian-installed authorities.
Russian media also reported a fatality from a Ukrainian drone attack in the Belgorod region of Russia, which lies just across the border from Ukraine. The pattern of strikes comes amid broader disruption to maritime traffic in the Black Sea: Russia has stepped up attacks on civilian vessels carrying grain and steel, which Kyiv and international observers say has effectively blockaded Ukraine’s ports and harmed the country’s economy.
Moscow’s Foreign Ministry additionally issued a warning to diplomats and foreigners in Kyiv to leave the city or face potential harm, though many foreign embassies continue to operate in the capital. The exchanges of long-range strikes occur in the fifth year of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, during a period of slower Russian territorial advances and active Ukrainian counterattacks, including operations around the eastern town of Lyman. Both sides have increasingly used longer-range weapons, including jet-powered strike drones that are faster and harder to intercept.
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