Rajevs: After Southern Bridge Strike, Russia Could Target Other Kyiv Bridges
Latvian MP and army reserve colonel Igors Rajevs believes that after the strike on Kyiv's Southern Bridge, Russia could attack other bridges over the Dnipro. In his view, the main aim is to cut rail links across the river.
Following a strike on the Southern Bridge in Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine, Russia may try to exploit the situation and target other city bridges across the Dnipro River. This was said on the TV24 programme "On the War in Ukraine" by Igors Rajevs, a member of Latvia's parliament, the Saeima, and a reserve colonel of the National Armed Forces (NBS). The bridges are strategic transport hubs, and destroying them could seriously hamper both everyday traffic in the city and military supply.
Role of the Southern Bridge
According to Rajevs, the Southern Bridge serves two purposes. First, it is a road bypass leading to Boryspil airport. Second, the green metro line runs across it, giving people a way to cross the Dnipro without using a car. He noted that Kyiv's bridges have different roles: some carry road traffic, while two of them, the Southern Bridge and the Metro Bridge, are also important for rail traffic.
What Russia may want
Rajevs said Russia's goal could be not only to disrupt traffic on a single bridge but to make movement across the Dnipro increasingly difficult. "If the Russian army manages to disable the Southern Bridge, I think they will try to capitalise on their success and shoot at the bridges to bring them to a state where movement across them is no longer possible," the MP said.
In his view, the Darnytsia Bridge could be a particularly important target. If it were damaged, traffic would have to be redirected northwards, putting additional strain on the remaining bridges.
Rail as the main objective
Rajevs believes it may be even more important for the Russian army to cut rail traffic across the Dnipro. Railways can carry far larger volumes of cargo than road transport, including military equipment, ammunition and people. "That is why breaking the railway artery is Russia's main task here," Rajevs stressed.
In his view, damaging the bridges could become a way for Russia to try to limit Ukraine's ability to move large loads and to maintain traffic between the two banks of the Dnipro.
