Twenty-five people have been killed and more than 90 injured in Russia's border region of Belgorod since the start of Moscow's military operation in Ukraine, the region's governor told President Vladimir Putin, AFP reported.

"Ukraine, the enemy, is targeting peaceful settlements. There are 25 dead, 96 people were wounded," governor Vyacheslav Gladkov told Putin in televised remarks. This is the first time Russian officials have announced an official death toll for a Russian region since the start of Moscow's military offensive in Ukraine.