The message is anything but cryptic. While German Chancellor Friedrich Merz is visiting Kiev to reiterate his support for Ukraine and call on Putin to halt the attacks, a Russian airstrike hits the Pivnichny Bridge (Northern Bridge) in the Ukrainian capital. And Moscow announces an intensification of Russian attacks on infrastructure.

First, air raid sirens sounded, signaling the drones' approach to the city. Then, the roadway of the North Bridge was hit, leaving a huge crater, and two people were reported injured.

"This morning, the Russians again struck the Pivnichnyi Bridge (Northern Bridge) in Kiev with a drone," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky wrote on X on X, adding that one person was killed in an attack on a pharmaceutical warehouse in Sumy. A communications facility in Dnipro was also targeted.

"Overnight," the Kiev leader continued, "the Russians launched 135 attack drones against Ukraine, more than 50 of them jet-powered. Kyiv, Dnipro, and the regions of Kharkiv, Donetsk, Sumy, and Zaporizhia were hit. And among the main targets of these terrorists, as always, are ordinary residential buildings, critical infrastructure—everything that makes up everyday life. Power outages have occurred in some communities. Our services are operating in the affected areas."

With Merz, Zelensky then reiterated, "we are preparing decisions that will allow us, in Ukraine, and all of Europe to have greater capabilities to defend ourselves", announcing "important agreements" between Ukraine and Germany, without giving details at the moment.

Meanwhile, the Russian Defense Ministry announced that it plans to "intensify" attacks on Ukrainian infrastructure in "response to threats from Zelensky," who has spoken of increasing strikes against Russian refineries. "Following Zelensky's statements, Russian military attacks against military and industrial installations, as well as related infrastructure, in Kiev and other regions of Ukraine, will be intensified," the statement said.

(Unioneonline)

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