Sawt Falasteen - Russia forcing Kyiv into 'survival' mode before winter, mayor tells AFP

In a tactical shift, Russia has expanded its strikes against Kyiv, targeting key bridges and the city centre in daytime drone attacks.

It has also resumed strikes on the energy grid, triggering power cuts in a repeat of attacks that last winter knocked out heating and power for days as temperatures hit -20C.

"Every day brings new reports of destroyed buildings, of people injured or tragically killed, as the shelling of our city intensifies," Vitali Klitschko told AFP.

"Today the issue is survival," he added.

Hours after the interview, service on the Kyiv metro was suspended due to power disruptions, the grid having been heavily targeted by Russian strikes.

Russian troops advanced on Kyiv in the first weeks of the Russian invasion in 2022, but were pushed back in a matter of weeks.

The capital had since then mostly been spared the devastation in the frontline regions, though missile and drone attacks on residential areas still killed hundreds.

With the front line mostly static, Moscow has shifted its attention to long-range strikes on Kyiv, launching hard-to-intercept ballistic missiles and jet-powered drones.

Three people were killed in the capital during attacks on Thursday.

It has repeatedly hit Kyiv's main bridges that cross the Dnipro river, forcing traffic to be suspended across the city.

"The connection between the left and right banks is one of the key factors in the city's ability to function," Klitschko said.

The city was developing alternative pontoon crossings to help ease the gridlock, the mayor added.

The latest strikes have already caused rolling power outages and left parts of Kyiv without water for several hours on Tuesday.

He also warned that disruption to Kyiv's water infrastructure could cause a "quite large-scale" crisis.

To prepare for the winter and possible disruptions, the city has been building backup heating systems and stockpiling fuel, food and drinking water, he said.

"No matter how well we prepare, if air defence does not work, we could end up in a bad scenario," Klitschko said.

P.AbuBaker--SF-PST