Putin rains down death on Odessa the same day that brave Sophie makes surprise visit to Ukraine's capital Kyiv 295 miles away

A Russian missile attack on an educational institution in Ukraine's Black Sea port of Odessa on Monday killed four people and injured 28, Regional Governor Oleh Kiper said on the Telegram messaging app.

Four injured were in serious condition, Kiper wrote. Among the injured were two children and a pregnant woman.

A turreted Gothic-style building known locally as the 'Harry Potter Castle', part of the Odessa Law Academy, was seen in flames after the strike. 

Putin's forces are firing on Ukraine as the Duchess of Edinburgh has become the first British royal to visit Ukraine since the start of the Russian invasion.

Sophie, 59, met with President Zelensky and his wife - and passed on a personal message from King Charles - as she showed her solitary with survivors of conflict-related sexual violence and torture during her emotional one-day trip.

The mother of-two travelled in her role as champion of the UK's Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict Initiative and the Women, Peace and Security agenda.

A turreted Gothic-style building known locally as the ' Harry Potter Castle', part of the Odessa Law Academy, was seen in flames after the strike

A Russian missile attack on an educational institution in Ukraine 's Black Sea port of Odessa on Monday killed four people and injured 28

It is understood she was 'keen to show her solidarity with men, women and children affected by the Russian invasion'.

She arrived in the country on the same day at least four people were killed in a barrage of Russian missile strike in the Ukrainian port city of Odesa nearly 300 miles away.

In Kyiv the duchess listened as survivors of sexual violence, both male and female, bravely shared their stories, as well as talking to female IDPs - internally displaced persons - and volunteers who help their communities cope with the trauma of the invasion.

Ukraine has been struggling to fight back against Russia's invasion in recent weeks, despite a massive $61billion aid package being passed by the US. 

NATO countries haven't delivered what they promised to Ukraine in time, the alliance's chief said Monday, allowing Russia to press its advantage while Kyiv's depleted forces wait for military supplies to arrive from the U.S. and Europe.

Ukraine has been struggling to fight back against Russia's invasion in recent weeks, despite a massive $61billion aid package being passed by the US

NATO countries haven't delivered what they promised to Ukraine in time, the alliance's chief said Monday

A couple look towards a burning building damaged as a result of a missile attack in Odessa, on April 29

'Serious delays in support have meant serious consequences on the battlefield' for Ukraine, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg told a news conference in Kyiv with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Outgunned, Ukraine's troops have struggled to fend off Russian advances on the battlefield. 

They were recently compelled to make a tactical retreat from three villages in the east, where the Kremlin's forces have been making incremental gains, Ukraine's army chief said Sunday. 

The Russian Defense Ministry claimed Monday its forces had also taken the village of Semenivka.

'The lack of ammunition has allowed the Russians to push forward along the front line. Lack of air defense has made it possible for more Russian missiles to hit their targets, and the lack of deep strike capabilities has made it possible for the Russians to concentrate more forces,' Stoltenberg said.

The Duchess of Edinburgh (right) poses for a photo with Ukraine's First Lady Olena Zelenska (left) in Saint Sophia Cathedral in what was the first visit to the country by a member of the Royal Family since the Russian invasion

Sophie, the Duchess of Edinburgh, was seen smiling as she looked up at the ceiling of Saint Sophia Cathedral alongside Olena Zelenska

During her visit Sophie also met with survivors of sexual violence, both male and female, who bravely shared their stories

Sophie poses for a picture with people at the UNPFPA office, with the Duchess 'keen to show her solidarity with men, women and children affected by the Russian invasion'

Kyiv's Western partners have repeatedly vowed to stand with Ukraine 'for as long as it takes.' 

But vital US military help was held up for six months by political differences in Washington, and Europe's military hardware production has not kept up with demand. Ukraine's own manufacturing of heavy weapons is only now starting to gain traction.

Now, Ukraine and its Western partners are racing to deploy critical new military aid that can help check the slow and costly but steady Russian advance across eastern areas, as well as thwart drone and missile attacks.

Zelenskyy said new Western supplies have started arriving, but slowly. 'This process must be speeded up,' he said at the news conference with Stoltenberg.

Though the 600-mile front line has shifted little since early in the war, the Kremlin's forces in recent weeks have edged forward, especially in the Donetsk region, with sheer numbers and massive firepower used to bludgeon defensive positions.