At least eight people have been killed as a new wave of wildfires fuelled by powerful winds and scorching temperatures burned down hundreds of homes in several regions in Russia.

Emergency teams have been deployed to battle and contain the blazes that engulfed more than a dozen villages and towns, but many residents complained that the government's response has been slow and insufficient.

The latest blazes come after destructive wildfires in July and August killed at least 54 people in central Russia amid the country's worst heat wave ever recorded.  

Neave Barker reports from Moscow.