Smoke screens and wire nets could shield Ukraine's bridges from drones — expert
Read NV on Google
Russian jet-powered drone zeroes in on a bridge in Kyiv, October 2, 2026 (Photo: REUTERS/Valentyn Ogirenko)
Ukraine could protect its bridges from Russian drone strikes by deploying smoke screens and heavy-duty wire netting, aviation expert and leading researcher at the State Aviation Museum Valerii Romanenko told Radio NV on October 8.
Romanenko pointed to enemy tactics as an example, noting how Russia already uses these methods to protect the Crimean Bridge.
“Smoke screens are another option. If drones are flying by coordinates, smoke won't stop them, but coordinates are only accurate within a few dozen meters – not enough for a direct hit,” the aviation expert noted. “However, if operators are piloting the drones manually, smoke screens work well, which is exactly what the Russians are doing with the Crimean Bridge.”
“We also need to protect critical components with heavy-duty netting. Even standard commercial nets will work, as long as we use thick enough wire,” Romanenko added.
He explained that because these attack drones are made of carbon fiber, they explode on impact when they hit a metal mesh rather than penetrating it. By hanging the netting just a meter from the bridge, the structure itself remains safe from the blast.
“Furthermore, even a direct hit cannot collapse a bridge. They can only damage the asphalt road surface, even with shaped-charge munitions,” Romanenko clarified. “Drones cannot destroy a bridge outright, but we must protect them to keep damage to an absolute minimum and prevent even the roadway from being ruined.”
Romanenko added that the mesh should not place too much weight on the bridge, suggesting that officials may need to limit traffic loads on the structure during an active attack.
Russian strikes on Kyiv’s bridges
Russian forces launched a coordinated drone campaign targeting Kyiv’s bridges starting October 1. The Southern Bridge was hit first, sustaining damage to the support, crash barrier, roadway, and the protective concrete barrier surrounding the metro tracks.
Russian forces turned their attention to the Northern Bridge on October 3, launching repeated strikes that ultimately blew a hole through the structure.
The strikes forced authorities to close or restrict access to Kyiv’s major bridges, paralyzing traffic across the capital as key roads backed up and public transit suffered extensive reroutes and delays.
Kyiv city officials later announced that service on the green subway line would resume during yellow-level alerts, though trains will continue to halt on above-ground tracks whenever a red-level alert sounds.
Ukrainian Railways announced it added 18 Kyiv City Express shuttle runs between the Vydubychi and Darnytsia stations on October 5 to bolster transit between the two banks of the Dnipro River.
The military war may be swinging in our favor, but the information war continues.
Just as an army needs soldiers, so does a free society need its journalists to ensure that people have access to honest, trustworthy voices to understand the world around them.
For the past five years, The New Voice of Ukraine has been working tirelessly to push back against Russian narratives and defend democracy. But we cannot do it alone.
Please consider supporting us on Patreon for just $5 a month – your donation does directly to supporting journalists and ensuring that this front of the infowar says solid and defended.
Thank you.
Follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Google News
