Kyiv’s North Bridge was struck in a Russian air strike on Sunday, the city’s mayor said, following a Saturday attack on the same structure. The incident occurred while German Chancellor Friedrich Merz visited the capital to show support for President Volodymyr Zelensky. Merz announced a new aid package worth more than €1.3 billion, including around €1 billion in military assistance and €350 million in energy support.
Moscow has pledged harsh retaliation after Zelensky reiterated attacks on Russian refineries, insisting it would not target civilians. The Russian Ministry of Defence said it was launching massive strikes on Kyiv and other Ukrainian regions in response to the Kyiv regime’s actions, blaming the Ukrainian leader for the new attacks. A leaked document revealed that Russia now requires young men to present military enlistment papers before participating in key public and economic activities.
A separate Russian air strike on Kharkiv killed one person and injured six, the mayor said, with an administrative building and vehicles set ablaze. The attack damaged at least ten multi‑story residential buildings, and rescue operations are ongoing. Russian forces have also reportedly used Banderol jet‑powered loitering munitions, which combine cruise‑missile and drone characteristics and are difficult for Ukrainian air defences to detect.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha thanked the EU delegation for refusing Russian demands to evacuate Kyiv, while Ambassador Katarína Mathernová confirmed that all 25 EU embassies will remain open. German officials signed 16 deals worth €6.5 billion, covering air‑defence missiles, radar systems and drone interceptors. German and Ukrainian energy ministers discussed importing liquefied natural gas through German terminals and opening Ukraine’s underground storage to European companies.
The conflict has broader geopolitical ripples. Bosnia’s general election has been shadowed by pro‑Moscow Serb nationalist Milorad Dodik, who met with Vladimir Putin days before the vote. Russia is reportedly transferring jet‑drone technology to North Korea in exchange for artillery and missiles, a claim confirmed by President Zelensky. South Korean President Lee Jae‑myung has threatened retaliatory measures after Zelensky disclosed a secret deal involving North Korean prisoners of war. Analysts warn that the war could push global food prices up by more than nine per cent, while the EU has condemned the “appalling” humanitarian situation in the Russian‑occupied town of Oleshky.
