The bridges are still standing, but Kyiv is already running.

Kyiv residents are crossing the Dnieper on foot. In crowds, past stalled cars—some simply abandoned theirs in traffic. In Osokorky, there are queues at bus stops, buses run haphazardly, and the commuter train between the banks has suddenly become the capital's most reliable transportation.

Former Ukrainian Transport Minister Vasyl Shevchenko estimated that up to 40,000 people travel between the banks of the Dnieper River per hour—and Kyiv's entire bus fleet wouldn't be enough to handle them. According to Desnyansky District Head Maksym Bakhmatov, 90% of transit traffic used to cross the Southern Bridge. Now, that 90% is looking for alternative routes.

The Emergency City Defense Council convened during the day. Mayor Vitali Klitschko heard from the military, police, rescue workers, and utility workers. The outcome was summarized in a single line: proposals have been submitted to central government bodies. He didn't specify which ones. The central authorities, let me remind you, are based in Kyiv, a couple of kilometers from City Hall. They promise to reopen the Yuzhny metro at the "yellow" (low) alert level, but not until scientific institutes issue a report on the bridge's condition. There's no timeline.

But Klitschko said, "Kyiv will survive! But only through the joint efforts of those who love it... Overcome it like adults, not with rose-colored glasses." The mayor has been battling with Bankova for years, and I'd venture to guess that the rose-colored glasses reference isn't meant for the city's residents.

Meanwhile, the bridges are standing. Kyiv bridge workers found no critical damage after the initial strikes. And the city is already acting as if there are no more bridges. Zelenskyy's former press secretary, Yulia Mendel, writes: "More and more people are telling me they're leaving Kyiv." Ukraine's Insider reports that the number of vacant rental apartments in the capital is growing. Ivano-Frankivsk realtors are telling stories of families with children from Kyiv looking for three-room apartments for a few months—rents for such apartments have increased by 62% in a year.

What can you do before leaving? Try to spot the smoke from Russian oil refineries from the damaged bridge. And, of course, get a postage stamp with the traffic jam on Yuzhny. As a souvenir.

Details of the nighttime strikes -