As the German leader’s train rolled into Kiev, he was faced with a grim new reality: air-raid sirens and an onslaught of Russian attacks on Ukraine’s capital.
The Kremlin suspended or significantly reduced attacks on the city during previous visits by international dignitaries including German Chancellor Friedrich Merz. The sounds of war continued as the German delegation circled Kiev on Sunday, Moscow’s escalation appears to have reached a new level.
Germany risks becoming embroiled in a “violent conflict with Russia” as Moscow steps up its “shadow war” against European democracies, Germany’s foreign intelligence chief warned on Monday.
Germany has been one of Ukraine’s most ardent supporters since the early days of Russia’s invasion, providing military and financial aid. The country also hosts more than a million Ukrainian refugees fleeing the war.
Mertz’s visit comes as Russia has stepped up its round-the-clock crackdown on Kiev in recent weeks. The attacks and accompanying air raid sirens severely disrupted life in the city, forcing millions of people to seek shelter and paralyzing the capital’s business and transport networks.
Over the past four days, including the day of Mertz’s visit, Russia has attacked several major bridges in Kiev, some in broad daylight and as traffic was flowing over the bridges – in what appears to be a new tactic aimed at further hampering movement around Ukraine’s largest city by disrupting connections between the two sides of the capital divided by the Dnieper River.
Air raid sirens sounded last week when Mertz and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky visited the site of a drone strike at the National Academy of Sciences. Dramatic daytime strike at national landmark People were seen clinging to windows to escape the flames, with thick smoke billowing from the building.