Russia warns diplomats, foreigners to leave Kyiv
· RTE.ieRussia has issued a new call for diplomats and foreigners to leave Kyiv, warning the Ukrainian capital of "massive" strikes, in a statement by its foreign ministry.
Moscow has been pummelling Ukraine with drone and missile barrages throughout its offensive and in the past weeks has stepped up the strikes against Kyiv, targeting key infrastructure.
In a statement, the Russian foreign ministry said it "had previously urged foreign nationals and diplomats in Kyiv to leave the city and refrain from visiting Ukraine."
"We note with concern that not everyone has heeded these warnings, and that individuals are knowingly exposing themselves to mortal danger," the ministry said.
"The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation will continue to deliver massive retaliatory strikes," it warned.
It also stated that "responsibility for any potential negative consequences rests entirely with those who ignore this warning."
A Russian strike targeted a major bridge in Kyiv, its mayor said this morning, in another attack on Ukrainian infrastructure that has brought traffic chaos to the capital.
The attack on the Northern Bridge, which followed a drone alert, came a day after the Southern Bridge was hit in a wave of strikes that city officials say is "tearing Kyiv apart".
"Northern Bridge has been hit," Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said on Telegram. "Emergency services are heading to the scene."
In another update, mR Klitschko said the attack had damaged the road surface and trolleybus wires on the bridge.
"Traffic across the bridge from the left bank to the right bank is currently blocked," he said.
The latest strike follows multiple attacks on crossings over the Dnipro river that link the eastern and western parts of the capital.
Yesterday, authorities shut the Southern Bridge - one of Kyiv's main bridges - and restricted movement on another after a wave of strikes by fast-moving, jet-powered drones, causing severe traffic congestion across the capital.
Long lines of stationary cars and buses clogged major roads as commuters sought alternate routes, with some forced to continue their journeys on foot.
The Southern Bridge is one of eight crossings connecting the two sides of Kyiv.
The cable-stayed structure had already been hit several times since Thursday, according to city officials.
Mr Klitschko warned yesterday that the capital should now be on a war footing.
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.
In Odesa, Russia attacked a Liberian-flagged cargo ship in one of Ukraine's Black Sea ports, killing one person and injuring three, the Ukrainian sea ports administration said on Saturday.
It said in a statement on the Telegram app that 13 other crew members were evacuated to safety.
Separately, one person was killed and two more were injured in a Ukrainian attack on Russia's Belgorod region, which borders Ukraine, the TASS state news agency reported.