The Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, is facing an intensification of Russian strikes, marking a new phase in the conflict that began in February 2022. Since early October 2026, Russian forces have for the first time targeted critical infrastructure that had previously been spared: the bridges spanning the Dnieper River. On October 1st and 2nd, the South Bridge was hit by drones, sustaining damage to a support, a guardrail, the roadway, and a concrete barrier along the metro tracks, leading to its closure to road and rail traffic. On October 3rd, the North Bridge was targeted, injuring two people and damaging the roadway as well as trolleybus power lines, which led to a partial closure of traffic (Meduza.io, DHNet.be).
There is a general consensus, even between the West bloc and Russian dissident sources, that Russia is intensifying its strikes on Kyiv and threatening new assaults. The dissonance lies in the precision of the targets: while the West speaks of attacks on the capital or infrastructure, Russian dissident sources (opposition media) are more specific, mentioning...
This synthesis compares media coverage and flags blind spots, biases and conflicts of interest around this topic.
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