Russia strikes hit Kyiv as Germany's Merz visits

Russia struck another major bridge in Kyiv on Sunday, soon after Germany's chancellor arrived on a surprise visit to show European support in the face of an upsurge in attacks.

Air raid sirens blared repeatedly across the Ukrainian capital throughout the morning, including as Friedrich Merz met President Volodymyr Zelensky at the National Academy of Sciences, which was hit by a Russian attack drone on Monday.

Zelensky told him that people in Kyiv were suffering "terrible nights and days" from the relentless attacks, and called Ukraine's Russian adversaries "absolute barbarians".

"We can see the entire pointlessness of this war at this place," noted 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 a strike had damaged the road surface on the Northern Bridge -- one of several connecting the eastern and western parts of the city over the Dnipro river which have been struck in repeatedly in the last four days.

Klitschko has said that Kyiv -- largely spared from the devastation wrought near the frontlines in nearly five years of conflict -- should now be on a war footing due to the upsurge in attacks.

A spate of round-the-clock attacks has hit residential areas, petrol stations, schools, rail and communications infrastructure while near-constant air raid sirens disrupt daily life and put people on edge.

Merz said as he arrived that Ukraine "needs all our support in the coming weeks".

"If Russia is not stopped, its war machine will sooner or later turn against us," he added.

Ukraine wants more Western military support, including advanced interceptors to shoot down Russia's new fast-moving, jet-powered drones.

On Sunday, Zelensky promised "important agreements". Government sources in Berlin said they were expected to shake hands on a new package of military support worth more than $1 billion.

It includes combat drones and satellite technology to help Ukraine hit Russian launch sites, as well as for the joint production of anti-jet drones, the German sources said.

"This support addresses the most significant current gap in Ukraine's air defence system. The impact is expected to be rapid and tangible," a source said.

Russia's defence ministry on Sunday vowed to ramp up its strikes on "military and military-industrial facilities" plus "related infrastructure in Kyiv" and elsewhere after Zelensky this week said Ukraine would intensify its own attacks against oil facilities that it says supply Moscow's troops.

Merz this week called for NATO and European unity against Russia as well as 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.

On Saturday, Moscow warned foreigners and diplomats to leave Kyiv, saying "massive" new airstrikes would hit the city.

It made a similar threat in May but leaders from Ukraine's allies have continued to make visits.

"The EU Delegation is staying. Threatening us will not stop Europe's support for Ukraine. It only reminds us why that support matters!" EU ambassador Katarina Mathernova wrote on X on Sunday.

Mathernova told AFP separately that "nobody is moving", although European embassies always had contingency plans, including for winter, she added.

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 -20C.

In Kyiv, home to some 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's trip was expected to announce some 350 million euros to help provide generators, transformer stations and for grid repairs, German government sources said.