Kyiv partially reopens North Bridge after Russian missile strike
Kyiv partially reopened the North Bridge on 8 November 2026 after specialists inspected the structure and found it safe for restricted use. Bus service was restored, with one lane open toward the right bank and two lanes available in the opposite direction, while freight traffic and some cars were directed onto detours.
Key points
- A Russian missile strike on 7 November damaged the North Bridge’s roadway, trolleybus line and power line.
- The bridge was closed in both directions after the attack, requiring changes to public transport routes.
- Kyiv specialists inspected the bridge and allowed traffic to resume with temporary restrictions on 8 November.
- One lane is open from the left to the right bank for public transport; two lanes serve passenger vehicles and cars toward the left bank.
- Freight vehicles and some cars are using detours via the Podil Bridge crossing.
- Bus service over the North Bridge has resumed.
- Authorities are working to introduce reversible lanes on the Paton Bridge in the coming days to increase capacity.
Why it matters
The partial reopening restores an important transport route in central Kyiv and public bus service after the bridge was closed in both directions. Restrictions and detours remain necessary because the roadway, trolleybus line and power line were damaged. Reversible lanes on the Paton Bridge are intended to increase capacity and partially compensate for the disruption.
What happened
A Russian missile attack on the North Bridge overnight into 7 November damaged its road surface, contact trolleybus line and power line. Kyiv authorities closed the crossing in both directions and changed public transport routes. Following a technical inspection by specialists, traffic was partially restored on 8 November under temporary restrictions. Public transport can use one lane from the left bank to the right bank, while two lanes toward the left bank are available for passenger transport and cars. Cars and freight vehicles heading toward the bridge must follow detours through the Podil Bridge crossing. Patrol officers are managing traffic and installing temporary signs, and bus service has resumed.
How Ukrainian sources describe it
Ukrainian reporting focused on the practical restoration of Kyiv’s transport network: the bridge inspection, directional restrictions, restored bus service, detours, police traffic control and plans to make traffic reversible on the Paton Bridge. The reopening was also presented in the context of casualties, a fire in Sviatoshynskyi district and debris falling onto a private home in Darnytskyi district following the wider overnight attack.
Where reporting differs
Reports differed on whether buses that had previously used the North Bridge immediately began crossing it or were still being diverted through the Podil Bridge crossing. They nevertheless agreed that bus service over the bridge had been restored.
Background
The North Bridge had previously been attacked by Russian drones on 3 and 4 October. The Paton Bridge has had emergency status since 2017, and scientists from the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine assessed its remaining resource as zero in February. On 6 November, the Southern Bridge opened a second lane toward the right bank, while reverse-direction traffic remained limited to one lane.