At least four people killed as Russia and Ukraine trade strikes overnight

A ⁠Russian ⁠attack on Ukraine’s port ⁠city of Odesa killed three people, the head of the ‌city’s military administration said on Monday. One other person was wounded and was in ⁠serious condition.

The ⁠⁠Kirishi refinery in Russia’s ⁠⁠Leningrad region was also set on fire in a Ukrainian ‌‌drone attack, Governor Aleksandr Drozdenko said on Monday in a post on Telegram. The Ukrainian military’s chief of staff said Ukraine also hit the Morozov plant near St Petersburg, which produces explosives and fuel for Russian missiles used against Ukraine.

Also on Monday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced that his country had agreed to establish a new mechanism to allow European Union funds to be deployed more quickly in response to Russian attacks against Ukrainian energy infrastructure. The Kirishi refinery is Russia’s ⁠⁠second largest, and the Leningrad region is a major hub ‌‌for the country’s oil and grain exports via the Baltic Sea.