At least 21 people were killed and 25 were injured on Thursday, 17 March, when Russian forces shelled the town of Merefa outside the city of Kharkiv in eastern Ukraine, hitting a school and a cultural centre, regional prosecutors said in a Facebook post.
Of the wounded, 10 people were in a serious condition, they added. Merefa Mayor Veniamin Sitov stated the attack occurred just before dawn on Thursday, news agency AP reported.
Meanwhile, Ukraine on Thursday also accused Russian forces of bombing a theatre where hundreds of civilians had taken shelter in the southern city of Mariupol amid third week of Russia’s invasion of the country.