Russian forces destroy Ukrainian school

MYKOLAIV REGION: Just a handful of kilometres from the frontline, a shattered village school in the southern Mykolaiv region is a sign of the war damage inflicted by Russia on Ukrainian education.

Small desks are topped with a layer of rubble and dust, while the front of the building has been gutted from repeated shelling.

The school gym is exposed to the elements by a collapsed roof and wall. Charred car wrecks squat beside the battered, abandoned playground.

Sergiy, head of the village, told AFP that the Russian army has twice passed through the village since the war began, and left the school intact at the same time.

The Russians realized their mistake when Ukrainian troops took up position there and bombed everything the 51-year-old said by telephone from Mykolaiv city where he now lives.

Most of the roofs have been blown off in the heavily shelled village.

He said only 25 people still live there, out of a population of about 1,700.

By day, the streets are deserted - silence broken only by the nearby roar of artillery.

Ukraine launched a counter-offensive three weeks ago, but its results are still hard to assess in the region.