Russia has reported a spike in the number of coronavirus infections as officials struggle to encourage Russians to get vaccinated.

A government tally reported 10,407 new coronavirus infections across the country, the highest since March 14, according to AFP.

Russia has been among the countries hardest hit by the coronavirus pandemic with the sixth-highest number of cases in the world.

While Russia's domestic vaccination campaign started in early December ahead of most countries, so far around 18 million Russians or 12 per cent of the population has received at least one dose of a vaccine.