“Russia killed six people in the region of Kherson,” interior minister Igor Klymenko said on messaging app Telegram, releasing pictures showing the aftermath of the attack.

One photo showed a column of black smoke rising above a house.

Three adults and a small baby were killed in the village of Shyroka Balka.

“A husband, wife and their 23-day-old daughter were killed by enemy artillery fire,” Klymenko wrote.

“Their 12-year-old son was hospitalised in serious condition. The child’s condition is critical.”

In the village of Stanislav two men were killed, and another person received injuries.

“Terrorists must be stopped. They must be stopped by force,” said Klymenko.

Kherson was one of four regions in Ukraine that Russian president Vladimir Putin claimed to have annexed in September.

Late last year, Russian troops withdrew from the city of Kherson but have continued to target settlements in the region.