21 killed in shelling near Ukraine's Kharkiv: Report

Kyiv [Ukraine], March 17 (ANI): At least 21 people have been killed and another 25 were injured when after Russian forces shelled the town of Merefa in Kharkiv, according to the regional prosecutor's office.
The attack occurred at 3:30 am (local time) and destroyed a school and an arts club, the prosecutor's office said, as per CNN.
US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said that Russia was outright committing a war crime.
Austin said recent "attacks" in Ukraine "appear to be focused directly on civilians," and "if you attack civilians, purposely target civilians... that is a crime."
CNN quoting Austin reported that Russia's actions in Ukraine are "under review" by the US State Department.
Meanwhile, the UN Security Council will hold a meeting on the humanitarian situation in Ukraine on Thursday (Eastern Time).
The meeting was requested by the United States, Albania, United Kingdom, France, Ireland, and Norway, according to a tweet from Norway's UN Mission in New York.
The UN Department of Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, the UN Refugee Agency, and the World Health Organization will brief at top of the session, Norway's mission tweeted, as per CNN.
Meanwhile, the Russian Foreign Ministry today expressed disappointment over the "unfriendly actions" of the Slovakian authorities which expelled three Russian diplomatic staff.
"We are disappointed by the unfriendly actions of the Slovakian authorities which expelled three Russian diplomatic staff under false pretexts. It goes without saying that the decisions taken by Slovakia will not go unanswered," the Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said.
However, the European Space Agency today announced it has suspended the Russian-European Mars mission over the Russia Ukraine war.
"We deeply deplore the human casualties and tragic consequences of the aggression towards Ukraine. While recognizing the impact on scientific exploration of space, ESA is fully aligned with the sanctions imposed on Russia by its Member States," ESA said in a statement. (ANI)