Ukraine strike kills 5 in Kursk after Russia claims attack on Kyiv

Russia and Ukraine have accused each other of launching deadly missile strikes, with Moscow saying at least five were killed by such a strike on its Kursk border region after a dawn attack on Ukraine's capital killed one man.

Ukraine struck the small town of Rylsk in Russia's Kursk region, killing five people and wounding 12, said Governor Alexander Khinshtein.

Mr Khinshtein accused Kyiv of firing US-supplied Himars rockets at civilian targets, saying the strike damaged buildings, including a school and the dormitory of a pilot training college.

Videos on social media showed cars on fire, debris strewn on roads, and buildings with windows blown out.

The border region is partly occupied by Ukrainian forces.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told Tass state news agency that Moscow would raise the attack at a UN Security Council meeting.

Russia accused Ukraine in 2023 of using cluster munitions to attack the town of around 15,000 residents located around 30km from the border.

The attack came hours after Russian missiles hit central Kyiv early on Dec 20, killing at least one person and damaging embassies.

Moscow claimed the dawn attack as retaliation for a strike using Western missiles on a chemical plant earlier in the week.