DOMINANT ANGLE
Buenos Aires is deciphering an infrastructure war: after the northern bridge in Kiev, Russia promises massive strikes and Zelensky responds with Russian refineries.
Dominant angle identified — does not reflect unanimity of this country’s media
KEY POINTS
- 01
The North Bridge in Kiev was hit on Saturday, October 3, after two attacks on Thursday and Friday against the southern bridge, according to La Nación.
- 02
The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs urges diplomats and foreigners to leave Kiev and announces "massive retaliatory attacks".
- 03
Zelensky announces the intensification of strikes against Russian refineries in response to a "new doctrine" from Putin, without targeting civilians.
ANALYSIS
Buenos Aires, October 4, 2026. The Argentine press is following the escalation around Kiev through two converging narratives, those of La Nación and Infobae, which focus their analysis on the military logic of the strikes and the cross threats.
According to La Nación, a strike hit the North Bridge of Kiev on Saturday, October 3, "the second bridge bombed this week", after two attacks on Thursday and Friday against a key road passage in the south of the capital. The newspaper specifies that the Russian Ministry of Defense claimed responsibility for the operation, stating that the structure serves to "facilitate troop movements and logistics". The mayor of Kiev indicated on Telegram that the North Bridge is one of the eight structures that cross the Dnieper.
La Nación also highlights the call from the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs to "foreign citizens and diplomats" to leave the city, accompanied by the promise of "massive retaliatory strikes" against "military targets in Kiev and other Ukrainian cities". The daily recalls that a similar call was made in May without Western chancelleries withdrawing their personnel. It mentions almost daily waves of drones, including jet-powered models that are more difficult to intercept, while Ukraine lacks anti-aircraft defense systems.
Infobae, reprising Zelensky's interview with Reuters, focuses on the Ukrainian response. The president asserts that intelligence has obtained documents proving that Vladimir Putin has issued a "new doctrine" of strikes against a much wider range of civilian targets before winter: "infrastructure, logistics, roads, schools, hospitals", in order to push the population to leave the capital. Ukraine will therefore intensify its strikes on Russian refineries, without targeting civilians. Zelensky attributes this change to Putin's desire to show his strength while his army is losing ground and suffering more losses.
Infobae adds that Ukraine claims to have retaken approximately 140 km² in the Donbass during the "Vivaldi" counteroffensive, a region over which Moscow demands total control as a condition for any peace agreement. The Kremlin was not available for comment on Saturday, and the newspaper notes that both sides deny targeting civilians.
The two texts leave out of the picture the pontoon bridges announced by Kiev and the US-Russian discussions on Lukoil, which are absent from the Argentine corpus used.
