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.
A photo accompanying the prosecutors’ statement 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 30 kilometers (18 miles) north of Merefa, has been the scene of intense Russian airstrikes in recent weeks and has been severely damaged.
(With inputs from agencies)
