As a result of the shelling of Merefa near Kharkiv on March 17, 21 people died. 25 people are injured, 10 of them are in critical condition.
Police started pre-trial investigation of deaths of people in Merefa under part 2 of Art. 438 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine - violation of the laws and customs of war, combined with premeditated murder, - press service of the Kharkiv Regional Prosecutor's Office.
According to the investigation, at about 3:30 p.m. on March 17, 2022, Russian artillery fired at the town of Merefa in the Kharkiv region. A school and a community centre were destroyed as a result.
The work is underway to clear the debris.
It was reported that at night the enemy fired at the city of Merefa. The missiles hit a school, a community centre, and a research institution. First, the buildings of the Institute of Vegetable and Melon Growing next to the community centre were damaged. The second blow was dealt to the school.
The State Emergency Service clarified that as a result of the shelling, a two-story building was partially destroyed, after which a fire broke out. The area of the fire was about 400 square meters.