21 killed in pre-dawn Russian attack on school

Twenty-one people have been killed by Russian artillery that destroyed a school and a community center in Merefa, near the northeast city of Kharkiv, officials said.

Merefa Mayor Veniamin Sitov said the attack occurred just before dawn on Thursday.

The Kharkiv region has seen heavy bombardment as stalled Russian forces try to advance in the area.


In the city of Chernihiv, northeast of Kyiv, Ukraine's emergency service says a hostel was shelled, killing a mother, father and three of their children, including 3-year-old twins.