Russia attacked Ukraine’s energy facilities while Ukrainian drones set fire to a major Russian refinery on Monday, November 9, one day before peace talks arranged by the United States were due to resume in Abu Dhabi.
A Russian strike on the Ukrainian port city of Odesa killed three people, according to the city’s military administration, and wounded one other person. In Russia’s Leningrad region, falling pieces of a drone killed a woman, the regional governor said. The Ukrainian drone attack started a fire at the Kirishi refinery, which is among Russia’s largest.
The governor said air defenses shot down more than 100 drones in the region. Ukraine’s military also said it hit a facility near St. Petersburg that makes explosives and fuel for Russian missiles. Ukrainian officials say Russian attacks have repeatedly damaged energy facilities.
They say the damage has raised concerns about electricity, water and heating as winter approaches. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said a new arrangement with the European Union would speed up funding to respond to the damage. The talks, involving U.S., Russian and Ukrainian envoys, were due to last two days.
The latest strikes showed that diplomacy was continuing alongside the fighting.