Russian Missiles and Drones Hit Kyiv’s Power Grid and Northern Bridge as Winter Nears
An overnight Russian strike with ballistic missiles and swarms of attack drones damaged Kyiv’s Northern Bridge, key power substations and residential buildings, injuring at least five people and disrupting transport and electricity in the capital and nearby regions.
Russian strikes overnight into 7 November punched through Ukraine’s air defenses around Kyiv, damaging a major bridge across the Dnipro River, hitting high‑voltage substations and injuring residents as the country heads into winter.
According to the Ukrainian Air Force, Russia launched a large mixed strike with multiple Iskander‑M, Tsirkon, KN‑23 and S‑400 ballistic missiles, along with 172 attack drones of various types, including Shahed‑type loitering munitions, Gerbera drones and other models. Ukrainian forces reported they shot down or suppressed 153 incoming targets, but still recorded enemy impacts at 24 locations and debris from intercepted weapons falling on 10 more.
Footage from the eastern outskirts of Kyiv between 23:00 and midnight showed the impact of eight Iskander‑M ballistic missiles hitting targets. The clips underscore the challenge of stopping fast ballistic weapons once they approach the city.
Satellite fire data from NASA’s FIRMS system later showed a fire hotspot directly over the 750 kV "Kyivska" electrical substation northwest of the capital. Reporting from the ground said the substation, a key node in Kyiv’s power grid, was hit by Iskander‑M and Tsircon missiles, and the satellite‑detected fire confirms a direct strike on the facility.
Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said a ballistic strike in the city left at least five people injured. He reported that several missiles struck the Pivnichnyi (Northern) Bridge, damaging the road surface, trolleybus overhead wires and a power transmission line mounted on the bridge. Traffic across the bridge was suspended in both directions. Train services on the red and blue lines of the Kyiv Metro were also reported suspended, cutting major transport routes at the same time that power supply was under strain.
Preliminary reports listed the Kyivska (750 kV), Novokyivska (330 kV) and Brovarska (330 kV) electrical substations among the targets, along with areas around the Trypilska thermal power plant and several facilities in Kyiv and the Brovary and Solomianskyi districts. These high‑voltage substations are central for routing electricity into the capital region, so damage there carries knock‑on effects for heating and water systems.
Russia’s Defense Ministry claimed it struck the Northern Bridge, the Meridian plant in Kyiv it described as producing Flamingo missiles, a rocket fuel components facility, the Trypilska thermal power plant, and power substations in Kyiv and Zhytomyr regions. It also said it hit a cargo ship it alleged was carrying military supplies near Odesa in the Black Sea. These claims have not been independently verified, but they match the reported focus on energy, industrial and transport infrastructure.
Klitschko warned of an extremely difficult situation for energy, heat and water supply in the capital after the strikes on grid and generation assets. In Kyiv’s Solomianskyi district, he said debris damaged a five‑story residential building and blew out windows, illustrating how falling fragments from intercepted weapons can still injure people and destroy homes.
The overnight barrage extended beyond Kyiv region. Authorities in Zhytomyr reported that Russian forces hit energy and fuel infrastructure in the cities of Zhytomyr and Zviahel. Fires were brought under control, and repair teams were working at the sites. In Vinnytsia region, the regional administration said Russian attacks on energy infrastructure overnight injured one person, damaged a fire station and a market, and burned an unknown number of vehicles and a commercial kiosk. The region experienced power supply disruptions.
Ukraine’s Air Force described Kyiv region as the main direction of the attack. It reported that four missiles of types listed as Iskander‑M, Tsirkon, KN‑23 or S‑400 were launched, with the exact breakdown unclear, alongside the 172 drones. Despite the high number of interceptions, the damage in Kyiv and surrounding regions shows the effect of even a limited number of successful strikes on critical substations, bridges and dense urban areas.
The Northern Bridge now joins Ukraine’s energy facilities as a clear target. Several missiles striking a single major crossing over the Dnipro disrupt civilian movement, trolleybus lines and an electricity transmission route, while also adding to the list of infrastructure that must be repaired under time pressure.
Signals to watch in the coming days include how quickly Kyiv can restore traffic over the Northern Bridge and full service on the metro lines, how fast repairs progress at the Kyivska and other substations, and whether Russian forces repeat strikes on the same power nodes and river crossings as temperatures fall.
Sources
- OSINT