Russia said five people had been killed in a Ukrainian strike in the western Kursk region. Ukrainian officials reported earlier that Moscow had launched a fresh missile attack on Kiev, damaging a building hosting several embassies.

In Russia, the acting governor of the Kursk region on Saturday said in addition to those killed, nine had been taken to hospital following the attack on the town of Rylsk.

Alexander Khinshtein said a cultural centre, a fitness complex, a school and homes had been damaged in the strike which took place at 15:30 local time (12:30 GMT) on Friday.

Russian officials earlier reported six killed, including a child, in Rylsk, about 25km from the Ukrainian border. But in an audio message on Telegram on Saturday morning, Khinstein gave the latest update, saying there were five fatalities. "There were no children among those [killed],” he said. Ukrainian troops still hold parts of the Kursk region after launching a surprise cross-border offensive in early August.

Ukraine’s foreign ministry said Russia’s strike on Kiev had affected the diplomatic missions of Albania, Argentina, North Macedonia, Palestine, Portugal and Montenegro. It is unclear whether the building housing them was directly targeted in the Ukrainian capital.