Vyacheslav Gladkov, the governor of the Belgorod region located along the Ukrainian border, said on the Telegram messaging app that the attack also damaged more than 20 buildings and that among those wounded was an 11-year-old girl who has been taken to a hospital.

A Ukrainian air attack in western Russia injured at least eight people and damaged scores of residential buildings and cars, officials said on Thursday.

Vyacheslav Gladkov, the governor of the Belgorod region located along the Ukrainian border, said on the Telegram messaging app that among those wounded was an 11-year-old girl who had been taken to a hospital.

Gladkov said the attack also damaged more than 20 buildings. He said about 34 flats in 19 apartment buildings were damaged, as well as three dozen cars in the city of Belgorod, the region's administrative centre.

Russia’s defence ministry said its air defence systems destroyed 15 rockets launched from the RM-70 Vampir system as well as a Ukrainian drone over Belgorod.

Three drones were also shot down over Russia’s Kursk region and two over the Bryansk region, the ministry added in a statement on the Telegram messaging app. All regions border Ukraine.

Roman Starovoyt, the governor of the Kursk region, confirmed that Russian air defences downed three Ukrainian drones overnight. There were no reports of damage or injuries.

Ukraine’s military said it shot down 17 of 20 drones that Russia used in overnight attacks. The Ukrainian Air Force said the intercepts took place over the Odesa region.

There were no reports of damage from the Russian attacks.

Ukraine has said often that destroying military, energy, and transport infrastructure inside Russia undermines Moscow’s overall war efforts.