Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, October 3, 2026

In it, ISW says the Northern Bridge strike was part of Russia's continued efforts to degrade the city's traffic across the Dnipro River and cause wider disruptions to Ukraine's economy and daily civilian life[1].The strike came a day after ISW's October 2 assessment, which said Russian forces conducted repeated drone strikes against the Southern Bridge in Kyiv City on October 1 and 2[2].ISW reports that five Russian drones, including Banderol loitering munitions, crashed in Moldova on the morning of October 3[1].ISW says Russia launched 157 drones against Ukraine overnight and Banderol loitering munitions on the morning of October 3.[1]ISW reports that on the battlefield, Russian forces recently advanced southeast of Sumy City.[1] The think tank adds that Ukrainian forces continued their long-range strike campaign against missile and drone launch sites in Russia.[1]In its October 2 assessment, ISW reported that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky had said Putin is focusing on massive strikes against Ukraine because Russian battlefield gains in eastern Ukraine have slowed[2].The same ISW report says Putin claimed Russian forces seized 1,301 square kilometers of territory in Ukraine in September 2026 alone[2]. ISW said it had seen evidence that Russian forces suffered a net loss of 80.81 square kilometers[2] over that month.