Strikes on Kyiv’s Southern Bridge: Expert Explains How to Avoid a Transport Collapse

Political expert and Ukrainian Armed Forces serviceman Oleksandr Musiienko said that bridges in Kyiv could be protected from Russian strikes with the help of man-portable air-defense systems (MANPADS) in order to prevent a transport collapse, Politeka reports.

He spoke about this in his blog.

The expert notes that Russia has started striking Kyiv’s Southern Bridge. There was a strike yesterday evening and another one this morning. He emphasizes that the attacks target the bridge support, the roadway, and the cable-stayed pylons.

“And this has already led to other bridges being closed. Why? I don’t understand. Explain it to me. What is causing this situation? If there is no air raid alert, then why close the other bridges? So that they do not have to handle the additional traffic caused by the congestion? But let’s remember that in 2022, the Southern Bridge was also closed, while traffic continued to use the other bridges and somehow the issue was managed. Now a collapse is developing, and this needs to be properly regulated,” Oleksandr Musiienko commented.

To protect the bridges, the expert explains, MANPADS teams could be deployed and placed on combat duty at specific locations. Such units already exist, including the “Chyste Nebo” (“Clear Sky”) unit and others. In his view, mobile fire teams equipped not with machine guns but specifically with man-portable air-defense systems should be deployed to cover the bridges.

“A MANPADS can be used to take down a drone that is approaching, descending, and heading toward the bridge to strike it. It can be shot down with a MANPADS. Let’s deploy them and cover the bridges; this can be tested. This, essentially, is how we should act. I will continue promoting this proposal so that Kyiv does not end up in a transport collapse. There are solutions; they need to be implemented,” Oleksandr Musiienko stated.