“Four people died in the village of Nikolskoye as a result of a direct shell hit to a private residential house. Rescuers pulled out the bodies of two more women from under the rubble,” said Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov.
Two deaths and four injuries were reported earlier.
In total, at least 15 people have been killed in the region since last week, according to data released by authorities.
Attacks on Russian soil have intensified ahead of a weekend election that extended President Vladimir Putin’s rule until the 2030s.
The attacks have angered the Kremlin as Moscow tries to downplay the impact of the offensive in Ukraine on the Russian population.
Last week, regions of the country bordering Ukraine became the target of border raids by pro-Ukrainian paramilitary groups who claimed to have captured a village.
At a news conference after his election victory, Putin said he was considering creating a “sanitary zone” in the Ukrainian territory bordering Belgorod to prevent further attacks.
“I do not rule out the possibility that, taking into account the tragic events of today, we will be forced at some point, when we think it is appropriate, to create a certain “sanitary zone” for the Kyiv regime in the territories currently under its control,” he said.
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2024-04-07 00:58:17