Putin launches strikes on Kyiv while German Chancellor Merz visits Ukrainian capital in show of support for Zelensky

Russia has pounded Kyiv with fresh missile and drone attacks before German Chancellor Merz visited the Ukrainian capital on a solidarity visit today. Shocking new footage shows a Russian drone hitting a busy bridge in the north of Kyiv over the Dnipro river. The blast was reportedly heard across the city and damaged the road surface on the Northern Bridge – which has been struck repeatedly in the last four days. Mr Merz was on a surprise visit to show European support as strikes against the Ukrainian capital increase.Ukraine and Germany announced a $1.5billion weapons deal to help President Zelensky defend his country against an upsurge in Russian bombing campaigns. The agreement includes combat drone weapons and support for Ukraine's battered energy sector, which Putin is targeting to cut off heating and power during the freezing winter months, Mr Zelensky wrote on X. Mr Merz quickly discovered the new reality of daily life in the Ukrainian capital. Air raid sirens wailed repeatedly, including as Zelensky showed him the damage to the National Academy of Sciences, which was hit by a Russian attack drone on Monday, killing two. Shocking new footage shows a Russian drone hitting a busy bridge in the north of Kyiv over the Dnipro river The blast was reportedly heard across the city and damaged the road surface on the Northern Bridge Cars stay in traffic after a Russian drone strike on the Northern Bridge across the Dnipro River in Kyiv'We can see the entire pointlessness of this war at this place,' said Mr Merz. 'These barbarous attacks on the civilian population of Ukraine must stop. These are war crimes that are being committed daily here.' Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko said the capital – largely spared from the devastation wrought near the front line in more than four years of conflict – should now be on a war footing. Round-the-clock attacks have hit residential areas, petrol stations, schools, rail and communications infrastructure, while near-constant air raid sirens disrupt daily life and put residents on edge. Merz warned as he arrived that support for Ukraine was vital for European security.'If Russia is not stopped, its war machine will sooner or later turn against us,' he claimed. Ukraine has repeatedly called for advanced interceptors to shoot down Russia's new fast-moving, jet-powered drones and powerful ballistic missiles.The latest deal provides for the joint production of anti-jet drones, Merz told a joint news conference with Zelensky. Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz visit the site of an administrative building of Ukraine's National Academy of Sciences hit during recent Russian drone strikes Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, centre, and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz speak to media A driver videos the aftermath of the Russian drone on the Northern Bridge – which has been struck repeatedly in the last four days'Significant technical breakthroughs have already been achieved in this area in recent weeks,' he added.'Production is now being ramped up. This strengthens Ukrainian air defence quickly and significantly.'We are supplying standoff weapons, combat drones and satellite technology so that Ukraine can also target Russian launch sites.'Germany is Ukraine's largest European donor, and has sent Kyiv more than £36billion since the war began. Meanwhile, Russia's Foreign Ministry said on Saturday that it would continue to carry out 'mass retaliatory strikes' on Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities, urging foreign nationals and diplomats to leave the country. It previously issued a similar warning in May. It came after Ukraine vowed to intensify its own attacks against oil facilities in Russia that it says supply Moscow's troops.Leaders from countries allied to Ukraine have continued to make visits despite the threat being made earlier this year. 'The EU Delegation is staying. Threatening us will not stop Europe's support for Ukraine. It only reminds us why that support matters!' European Union ambassador Katarina Mathernova wrote on social media on Sunday.Merz told reporters he was unfazed by the threat but did not know if it had been made to coincide with his visit.Russia has admitted deliberately targeting Ukraine's energy sector as winter approaches. Last year, similar attacks knocked out power and heating for days on end as temperatures plummeted to minus 20C. Ukraine and Germany announced a $1.5billion weapons deal to help President Zelensky defend his country against an upsurge in Russian bombing campaignsIn Kyiv, home to three million people, residents are mulling what to do if that happens again, and there have been calls for the vulnerable and disabled to consider leaving.Merz said Berlin's winter support programme was worth some 350 million euros to help provide generators, transformer stations and for grid repairs.The German and Russian foreign ministers met on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly's annual gathering of world leaders last month in what was believed to be the first such face-to-face meeting since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Russia's Sergey Lavrov rejected German calls to ease off its 'dangerous path of escalation' toward the country, and instead accused Germany of being Ukraine's main sponsor and seeking to be a leading military power in Europe. Merz called this week for Nato and European unity against Russia, as well as in his own country, where the far-Right, Moscow-friendly AfD opposition is on the rise. There have been increasing fears in Europe that it could find itself in Russia's crosshairs. Security was a top concern for voters in this weekend's election in Nato member Latvia, which borders Russia.