(Reuters) - Five civilians died and 12 other were injured in Ukraine's shelling of the town of Rakitnoye in Russia's Belgorod region, the governor of the region in the country's southwest said on Sunday.

Among the injured are three children, Vyacheslav Gladkov, governor of the Belgorod region that borders Ukraine, said on the Telegram messaging app.

Reuters could not independently verify the reports. There was no immediate comment from Ukraine.

Both Russia and Ukraine deny targeting civilians in the war, which Russia launched with a full-scale invasion on its smaller neighbour in February 2022.

(Reporting by Lidia Kelly in Melbourne; Editing by David Gregorio)