Merz lands in Kyiv as Russia hits the Pivnichnyi Bridge and a second crossing

Friedrich Merz, the German political heavyweight, showed up in Kyiv without prior notice, stepping off his flight at the city’s main station while Russian forces continued their campaign against the capital’s infrastructure.

At roughly the same time, a Russian strike hit the Pivnichnyi (Northern) Bridge – a key link between Kyiv’s historic centre and the suburbs across the Dnipro River. The bridge, which lies about a twenty‑minute drive from the station where Merz arrived, was reduced to a pile of steel and concrete.

This was not an isolated incident; a second major bridge in the city had already been hit in a repeat operation, turning Kyiv’s traffic arteries into a maze of detours.

The unannounced nature of Merz’s visit has drawn eyebrows in Brussels, as EU officials scramble to interpret whether the timing signals a new diplomatic approach or simply an ill‑timed stop‑over.

As Kyiv grapples with the loss of two vital crossings, commuters are left navigating a patchwork of reroutes while the German delegation presses on with its agenda.