Russia has reportedly warned that if the situation on the Korean Peninsula is left unchecked, it could lead to a massive loss of lives.

Japan's Yomiuri Shimbun daily says Russia made the strong warning when it presented a statement at the U.N. Security Council on Sunday calling for both Koreas to exercise restraint.

The paper cited a diplomatic source in New York as saying that Russian Ambassador to the U.N. Vitaly Churkin said that the Korean crisis could trigger a calamity the world has not seen in decades.

Yomiuri also says the statement presented by Moscow also urged the U.N. to send special envoys to South and North Korea to discuss the situation.