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Russian shelling on school, centre leaves 21 dead in east Ukrainian town
Ukraine-Russia war: Artillery fire hit a school and a cultural centre in the town of Merefa outside the city of Kharkiv. Among the wounded, 10 people are in serious condition.
At least 21 people of an east Ukrainian town died on Thursday in shelling by Russian forces, local officials said. Russia's war against the east European nation was its fourth week, leaving hundreds dead and thousands injured, and prompting one of the worst refugee crisis in Europe since the Second World War.
According to an AFP report, artillery fire hit a school and a cultural centre in the town of Merefa outside the city of Kharkiv. Of the wounded, 10 people are in serious condition.
Russian forces have continued to batter Ukrainian cities even as talks between the two sides continue.
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In a Facebook post, regional prosecutors shared a photo that showed a building of several storeys that was destroyed in the middle with windows blown out and emergency workers combing through the wreckage.
Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-largest city and some 30km (18 miles) north of Merefa, has been the scene of intense Russian air strikes in recent weeks and has been severely damaged.
Earlier in the day, authorities in the besieged port city of Mariupol said Russia bombed a theatre where "hundreds" of civilians were taking shelter. While Moscow has denied striking the theatre, reports said women and children had taken refuge there.
According to a photo shared by the authorities, the middle part of the building looked destroyed, while any report on the toll was yet to surface.
Meanwhile, the Kremlin has dismissed reports of “major progress” in ongoing talks with Ukraine to end the war, while blaming Kyiv for slowing the negotiations.
The fresh round of talks between representatives of the two warring nations that began on Monday, after multiple failed attempts, is set to continue on Thursday.
