Russia's navy has been plagued by a series of accidents since 1991

A Russian warship has mistakenly shelled a village near the northern city of St Petersburg, officials say.

They say the small anti-submarine vessel fired up to 15 artillery rounds at Pesochnoye during target practice late on Thursday.

No injuries were reported in the village. It was not immediately clear how much property damage there was.

Some terrified villagers said they thought a war had started, Russia's Ria Novosti news agency reports.

Russia's navy has been plagued by a series of accidents since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, including the Kursk submarine disaster in 2000 that left more than 100 sailors dead.