MOSCOW - Four people were killed in shelling of the village of Nikolskoye in Russia's Belgorod region, which borders Ukraine, local governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said on March 18, blaming Ukraine for the deaths.

Mr Gladkov said in his Telegram channel that the victims - a couple, a grandmother and a boy of 17 - were killed when their house took a direct hit from a shell.

He said a girl survived and was in intensive care.

Attacks on Belgorod have taken place frequently since 2022 but have escalated in recent months, with 25 people killed in a single incident in late December.

Thousands of Ukrainian civilians have been killed in Russian attacks.

Both sides say they do not target civilians. REUTERS