7 people dead, 34 injured in Kharkiv shelling

Kiev, April 4: Ukrainian authorities have confirmed that at least seven people were killed and 34 others injured due to shelling in the eastern city of Kharkiv. The Kharkiv Regional Prosecutor's Office said at around 6 p.m. on Sunday evening, Russian forces shelled residential buildings in the Slobidskyi district, reports Ukrayinska Pravda.

The Office said that 10 houses and a bus depot was destroyed as a result. Of the 34 injured persons, three were children, it added. According to the Office, investigators from the Security Council of Ukraine Office in the Kharkiv region have launched a pre-trial investigation into "violations of the laws and customs of war combined with premeditated murder".

Since the invasion began on February 24, Russian forces have been relentlessly shelling Kharkiv, which lies about 50 km from the countries' border, reports the BBC. As of late March, at least 500 civilians have been reportedly killed in Kharkiv.