Seoul Gazette - Russia 'tearing Kyiv apart', mayor says, as strikes paralyse traffic

President Volodymyr Zelensky accused his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, of ripping up the rulebook of armed conflict by sanctioning massive attacks on civilian areas, an accusation the Kremlin has rejected.

The grinding conflict, which began with Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022, has largely focused on ground fighting in the east, with Kyiv largely spared from the devastation wrought near the frontline.

But Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko said the city should now be on a war footing.

"The capital is in a very dramatic situation," he posted on Telegram. "It's no longer possible to pretend that we can live now as we lived in peacetime.

"The enemy is tearing Kyiv apart."

His message came as the authorities shut one of Kyiv's main bridges and restricted movement on a second after another wave of deadly strikes by fast-moving, jet-powered drones.

Long lines of stationary cars and buses were gridlocked on main roads as commuters sought alternative routes -- or even made their way on foot.

"I've been travelling for three hours... to get to work," said Tetiana Osypenko, a 49-year-old seamstress whose bus was stuck in a traffic jam.

"There's just no way to get there. Nothing. It's impossible to cross the bridges today," she told AFP.

Traffic built up due to the complete closure to all vehicles going in both directions on the Southern Bridge, one of eight bridges connecting the east and west of Kyiv over the Dnipro river.

It was hit several times on Thursday and Friday morning.

The Paton Bridge, further north, was open in one direction only, though there were no reports that it had been struck.

In a post on X, Zelensky accused Putin of last month declaring there were "no rules now", citing unnamed intelligence and people around Putin.

"The Russians couldn't occupy us. So now they are doing massive attacks and massive killings," Zelensky said.

The Kremlin made no immediate public response to the claim, which Zelensky first made in an interview with the Financial Times.

- Daily disruption -

Kyiv has been increasingly under aerial bombardment in recent months, putting the city on near-constant alert and disrupting daily life.

Air raid sirens warning of approaching threats in the skies sound almost round the clock, urging the city's estimated three million people to seek shelter.

Repeated strikes on trains and petrol stations have already hit the rail and road networks while attacks on energy facilities threaten power and heating as winter approaches.

Osypenko, the seamstress, said she would not get home because of the traffic jams. Previous disruption to subway services during air raids forced her to spend the night in a metro station near the Southern Bridge.

Not being able to work costs her money, compounding the financial pressures caused by the war, she added. "You just spend the whole day feeling completely beaten down."

The latest Russian attacks killed one person and wounded at least two other people when a 25-storey residential building was hit in southeast Kyiv.

- 'Political will' -

Zelensky urged tougher sanctions to prevent Russia from manufacturing its new jet-powered drones, which are faster and harder to intercept.

Russia's production of the weapons was "critically dependent" on foreign components, he wrote on social media on Friday.

"Every Russian drone can actually be stopped right at the production line. What is needed is the political will of these countries," he added.

Zelensky has repeatedly called on Ukraine's Western allies for more military support, particularly for US-made Patriot missile interceptors.

On Thursday, he said Ukraine had used its FP-7 tactical ballistic missile in combat for the first time, without disclosing where or what it had been used against.

He also said Ukraine was testing five of its own interceptors against drones.

Ukraine's military on Friday said it struck an oil refinery in Volgograd and another facility in Samara, both in southwest Russia, for allegedly supplying fuel to Russian forces.

Kyiv also dismissed reports that its F-16 fighter jets -- another key tool used against jet-powered drones -- could be grounded due to delays in maintenance inspection and the supply of parts.

But Zelensky told the Financial Times that around half of Ukraine's fleet was spending lengthy maintenance periods in Europe.

W.Nam--SG