Putin's forces launch major attack on Kyiv as German Chancellor visits - huge explosion

Putin's forces launch major attack on Kyiv as German Chancellor visits - huge explosion Russia is bombarding Kyiv again with Vladimir Putin's forces having hit the key Northern Bridge causing a massive explosion as German Chancellor Friedrich Merz visits the city Vladimir Putin’s forces have struck one of Kyiv's main bridges today, causing a fireball explosion as German Chancellor Friedrich Merz visited the city. The key Northern Bridge was reportedly hit by a new jet-powered long-range attack drone with images showing cars travelling along it. The blast has damaged the road surface as drivers navigated flames and blast craters. Mayor Vitali Klitschko confirmed emergency services deployed to the scene, halting traffic toward Kyiv’s right bank. It was the second strike in two days on the Northern Bridge, coming amid a campaign by Putin to disrupt life in the city. Earlier, it was reported that Kyiv is preparing pontoon bridges across the Dnipro River in case Russia destroys the existing bridges. Russia has until now mostly not struck when senior Western leaders or officials have been in Kyiv. A defiant Merz arrived by train today for talks with Volodymyr Zelensky despite a hectoring warning from the Russian Foreign Ministry on Saturday for Westerners to avoid travelling to Ukraine. The German Chancellor was accompanied by Economy Minister Katherina Reiche and executives from German defence and energy companies. Germany is expected to release €1 billion in military aid plus €350 million for energy repairs, as well as finalise joint Ukrainian-German production of drones and long-range weapons. Merz said he travelled to Kyiv, his second trip as chancellor, to demonstrate Germany’s support for Ukraine. “If Russia is not stopped, its war machine will sooner or later turn against us,” he said in a statement on Sunday, adding that he told Zelensky: “You can continue to count on our help.” Merz said the partnership between the two countries was “not a one-way street”, pointing to German and Ukrainian companies jointly developing technologies that benefit both sides. “This makes us safer and stronger,” he said. Ukrainian foreign minister Andrii Sybiha said Merz would hold talks with Zelensky. Writing on X, Sybiha said the agenda would focus on “strengthening Ukraine, our defence and resilience, and our shared European security”. Russia has started to use the new jet-powered drones that fly too fast and too high for Ukrainian ground-based air defences to shoot down. Ukraine is scrambling to keep pace by developing faster interceptor drones in the latest example of how the war has driven military innovation, but making and deploying new weapons takes months. Russia’s ballistic missiles have also penetrated Ukraine’s defences as the country is desperately short of US-made Patriot air defence interceptor missiles needed to stop Moscow’s ballistic attacks. Patriot stockpiles are low, largely because of the Iran war, and Ukraine has received only small numbers of them this year despite Zelenskyy’s pleading.