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

German chancellor tours city with president Zelenskyy after Moscow strikes city’s North Bridge this morning amid his arrival My colleague Pjotr Sauer, The Guardian’s Russian affairs reporter in Kyiv this week, has described the onslaught of around-the-clock attacks we’re seeing on the Ukrainian capital: Kyiv is entering its most difficult period since the early days of the invasion, as intensifying Russian attacks reshape everyday life in a capital that Moscow is seeking to plunge into darkness. For weeks, the main worry in the capital had been the coming winter, when Russia is expected once again to try to plunge Ukraine into darkness and cold. But a sharp escalation in Russian attacks has left many residents feeling that some of the hardship they had been bracing for is already here. “The capital is in a very dramatic situation. And it’s no longer possible to pretend that we can live now as we do in peacetime,” the Kyiv mayor, Vitali Klitschko , said on Friday. “The enemy is tearing Kyiv apart.” This week alone, Russian missiles and drones have struck offices, datacentres, a school and hospital and one of Kyiv’s main bridges. Moscow has also started its attacks on Ukraine’s energy, targeting a thermal power plant and other energy facilities, leaving several neighbourhoods without power and water by morning. Continue reading...