Friedrich Merz begins unannounced Kyiv visit as Russia continues strikes on Ukraine’s capital – Europe live

Opening summaryGood morning and welcome to our Europe live blog, I’m Frances Mao. We begin in Kyiv where one of Ukraine’s strongest European backers, the German chancellor Friedrich Merz, has arrived this morning in an unannounced visit. Soon after his arrival, the Russians struck the city’s North Bridge, just a 20-minutes drive from the central railway station where Merz had pulled into.German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Economy and Energy Minister Katherina Reiche meet Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha‎ at a railway station, amid Russia’s attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine, October 4, 2026. Photograph: Alina Smutko/ReutersElsewhere across the continent today, Bosnians are voting in a national election likely to determine the course of their strained EU accension path so far.And I’ll also bring you an update on the rent protests we saw across Spain’s largest cities yesterday.Key events20m agoAttack on Kyiv as Merz arrives shows upsurge in Russian attacks on capital35m agoOpening summaryMerz has met Ukraine’s President Voldymyr Zelenskyy at the main war memorial on the Maidan in Kyiv. Both men lay tributes at the central site, which features thousands of Ukrainian flags and framed portraits of the soldiers who’ve been killed in the war that’s gone on for more than four-and-a-half years. Some pictures from the scene just now:Merz and Zelenskyy pay tribute at the makeshift memorial to fallen Ukrainian defenders at the Independence Square in Kyiv, Ukraine, October 4, 2026. REUTERS/Alina Smutko Photograph: Dan Bashakov/APMerz has pledged to release further aid to Ukraine and German-Ukrainian defence projects are underway Photograph: Alina Smutko/ReutersAttack on Kyiv as Merz arrives shows upsurge in Russian attacks on capitalThe North Bridge – one of several connecting central historic Kyiv to the residential suburbs across the Dnipro river -was struck not long after the German chancellor’s arrival in the Ukrainian capital.The incident has been confirmed by Kyiv’s mayor Vitali Klitschko this morning who wrote on Telegram: “Impact on the road surface of the Northern Bridge. Emergency services are heading to the scene.”There’s no word of casualties yet. Pictures and footage being shared online appears to show a missile slamming into the cable bridge and the resulting fireball explosion. It follows strikes by the Russians on the South Bridge on Friday and Saturday, and several earlier this week that had shut three of the city’s six road bridges over the Dnipro.Merz has arrived in the thick of it, as Kyiv, which was largely spared direct aerial strikes in the first years of the war has increasingly come under attack since April.The Russians have launched strikes day and night, hitting schools, petrol strations, government buildings and churches as well as rails and communication infrastructure.Opening summaryGood morning and welcome to our Europe live blog, I’m Frances Mao. We begin in Kyiv where one of Ukraine’s strongest European backers, the German chancellor Friedrich Merz, has arrived this morning in an unannounced visit. Soon after his arrival, the Russians struck the city’s North Bridge, just a 20-minutes drive from the central railway station where Merz had pulled into.German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Economy and Energy Minister Katherina Reiche meet Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha‎ at a railway station, amid Russia’s attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine, October 4, 2026. Photograph: Alina Smutko/ReutersElsewhere across the continent today, Bosnians are voting in a national election likely to determine the course of their strained EU accension path so far.And I’ll also bring you an update on the rent protests we saw across Spain’s largest cities yesterday.