Sweeping developments unfold across the fronts of Ukraine, with the Russian military leveling the strategic bridges of Kyiv one after another, the city Defense Council being urgently convened, and deputies of the Verkhovna Rada begging for capitulation to Moscow to halt strikes against strategic infrastructure of the Ukrainian capital, as reported by Lenta.ru on October 2.
Specifically, an urgent meeting of the Defense Council was convened on Friday, October 2, in Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine, as announced by the Kyiv City Military Administration.
«Today, an urgent meeting of the Defense Council is convened in Kyiv to examine the issue of traffic across the bridges, which Russia has begun targeting», stated the military administration of the Ukrainian capital.
At the same time, Verkhovna Rada (Ukrainian parliament) deputy Oleksiy Goncharenko issued an open appeal to Volodymyr Zelensky for the first time, urgently requesting him to make a painful compromise with Moscow to save the strategic infrastructure of Ukraine in Kyiv, as well as along the banks of the Dnieper.
As becomes apparent, the countdown toward the collapse of the regime, in domino terms, has just begun.
The torrential Russian strikes in Kyiv will undeniably form the spark for broader (perhaps even historical) developments overall on the Ukrainian front...
Urgent meeting of the Defense Council in Kyiv, bridges dismantled in Ukraine
Specifically, at noon on October 2, the Mayor of Kyiv, Vitali Klitschko, confirmed the hasty convening of the Defense Council.
As he stated, municipal authorities, together with military personnel, law enforcement officials, representatives of the Security Service of Ukraine, and the State Emergency Service of Ukraine, discussed ways to safeguard the functioning of the capital amid «continuous destructive attacks».
«I called on all agencies participating in the Defense Council to act in a coordinated and responsible manner. Now is not the time for populism. We need to make informed decisions and keep citizens updated. We must speak candidly about current reality», stated Vitali Klitschko, Mayor of Kyiv.
«The capital is one step away from collapse»
«The capital finds itself in an exceptionally dramatic situation. And it is no longer possible to pretend that we can live as though we are in a period of peace», the mayor emphasized.
According to Vitali Klitschko, Russia is striking the infrastructure and transport networks of the capital, and the issue now does not concern «routine comfort, but safety and survival».
He called on citizens to face the hardships «like adults», instead of continuing to view the situation «through rose-colored glasses», expressing the view that the residents of Kyiv have no other option.
Later, the mayor added that the Kyiv Metro is prepared to resume operations across the South Bridge during yellow alert status, but only after an expert assessment is completed regarding the condition of the bridge, one of whose piers suffered damage.
Shock: Kyiv in informal blockade by the Russians
If the situation with the bridges worsens significantly, Kyiv could face a total blockade, according to Verkhovna Rada deputy Artem Dmytruk.
As the deputy noted, the issue of the bridges is far more serious than it might seem at first glance.
«Kyiv may find itself facing not just an isolated transport crisis, but an infrastructure collapse across the entire city. And, in the worst-case scenario, a blockade of the capital», stated Artem Dmytruk, deputy of the Verkhovna Rada.
The deputy noted that bridges represent pivotal components of urban infrastructure and that their importance extends far beyond simple commuting.
Most strategic bridge of Kyiv struck, 90% of transport paralyzed
It is highlighted that on October 1, Russian forces struck the South Bridge in Kyiv, which is considered of strategic importance not only for the capital, but for all of Ukraine.
Up to 90% of total transit traffic between the left and right banks of the country traversed the bridge, alongside a significant portion of military cargo.
On the night of October 2, the Russian army again utilized unmanned aerial vehicles to strike the road and rail bridge over the Dnieper River in Kyiv, according to an announcement from the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation.
It is known that military supplies for the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the Donbass region were transported via this specific bridge.
Ukrainians cross the Dnieper on foot, Paton Bridge also collapses
Concurrently, on the morning of October 2, traffic restrictions were imposed on the Paton Bridge, in the direction from the right bank to the left bank.
Following the strikes by the Russian Armed Forces, Kyiv was blanketed in fog and smog, with visibility reduced almost to zero.
According to reports, smoke and soot particulates accumulated over the city following the attacks.
At the same time, residents of Kyiv began crossing the Dnieper on foot, while some abandoned their cars in traffic jams, according to war correspondent Alexander Kots.
ISW: «We are only at the beginning regarding the destruction of Kyiv infrastructure»
For his part, military analyst Yuri Knutov assesses that attacks on Ukrainian bridges over the Dnieper will persist.
«I believe that these types of attacks will continue.
Regarding the remaining bridges over the Dnieper, the strikes will likely concentrate on the road surface, with the goal of simply interrupting traffic for a certain period», stated Yuri Knutov, military analyst.
Analysts from the American Institute for the Study of War (ISW) acknowledged that Russian kamikaze unmanned aerial vehicles of the Geran family, which have begun to be equipped with a specialized penetrating-cutting shaped-charge warhead, can indeed knock out the key bridges of Kyiv.
The American analysts estimated that upgraded drones were used by the Russian Armed Forces for the strike on the South Bridge of Kyiv.
However, according to their assessment, causing serious structural damage to such an installation would require multiple strikes within a short time frame.
Unthinkable, the Ukrainian parliament demands Zelensky capitulate to the Russians
Meanwhile, in the aftermath of the latest bombardments of Kyiv and the bridges over the Dnieper, Verkhovna Rada deputy Oleksiy Goncharenko, who is listed in the Russian Federation as an extremist and terrorist, suggested to Volodymyr Zelensky that he initiate negotiations with Russia «wherever possible».
According to him, the current strategy of Kyiv does not correspond to the reality prevailing on the front and in the economy, while strikes on power generation facilities, factories, warehouses, data centers, and infrastructure demonstrate the critical scope of impending problems.
He recognizes that the terms of any potential agreement with Moscow become progressively worse for Ukraine over time.
«We are losing the war, we are losing vast numbers of people, we do not have enough funds to finance the war or even to keep the country running, we are losing our enterprises and our economy. And indeed, each time the terms we receive are worse than the previous ones», wrote Oleksiy Goncharenko on Telegram.
At the same time, he described the fixation of Volodymyr Zelensky on creating new armaments as the pursuit of a... Wunderwaffe, a «miracle weapon», which, as he noted, has never proven effective.
«Lift sanctions against Russia to halt the pounding...»
One of the prospective points of an agreement proposed by Oleksiy Goncharenko is lifting sanctions against Russia in the energy sector.
In fact, he suggests that Ukraine itself take the initiative, in exchange for ending long-range strikes, lifting the blockade of the Black Sea, and curtailing hostilities.
«We will save the economy, at least a part of it, we will save our cities, Kyiv, Odesa, Kharkiv, Dnipro, we will save the lives of many people and halt the exodus of the population», the deputy assesses.
At the same time, he does not suggest a long-term peace treaty, but gradual progress through piecemeal agreements, to end attacks on ports, enterprises, and «schools».
«We are ready to declare neutral status»
He further suggests «sending a message to Moscow» regarding the readiness of the Ukrainian side to discuss the neutral status of Ukraine.
«Let us signal that we are ready to discuss neutrality.
The terms are negotiable. We will continue cooperation with NATO as we do now. We will establish a joint European budget to fund our military. We will work on rearmament. But we must talk», writes Oleksiy Goncharenko.
The deputy also believes that the same protection guarantees that Hungarians request from Ukraine could be extended to Russians, while favoring the ability of Ukrainians to visit «structures linked to the Russian Orthodox Church», provided that «anti-state activities are not conducted there».
In his view, the withdrawal of the Ukrainian Armed Forces from the Donbass should be examined only after agreements on energy and other forms of ceasefire are achieved.
Among potential options, Oleksiy Goncharenko mentions freezing combat along the line of contact, establishing a buffer zone, the withdrawal of both Russian and Ukrainian forces, and placing a security cordon under the oversight of the UN.
And on the horizon... new Minsk agreements
It is worth examining these specific proposals in detail, as they exemplify how Russia may soon be invited to enter negotiations, given the access of Oleksiy Goncharenko to European centers of power.
And again, this occurs through the possibility of preserving the Bandera character of the regime and its tight connections with NATO.
Oleksiy Goncharenko, after all, makes no secret of this:
«Our faction, that of Petro Poroshenko, had already acted in this manner when we signed the Minsk agreements.
It was a smart move. As a country, we held out», he writes.
Of course, these proposals are completely unacceptable to Russia.
Acceptable terms are solely complete denazification and demilitarization.
At the same time, strikes against the bridges should have begun long ago.
Russian leadership has overhauled its strategy in the war and is focusing on dismantling the rear of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, something that will inevitably lead to the total collapse of their defenses on the front.
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