THIS ARTICLE CONTAINS DISTURBING IMAGES

The Russian Defense Ministry has accused Ukrainian forces of committing a war crime after a video surfaced on social media, on Friday, which appears to show captured Russian servicemen first alive and subsequently dead.

The footage depicts soldiers dressed in Russian uniforms first surrendering to troops in uniforms bearing Ukrainian insignia before being shown lying on the ground, presumably dead.

The US isn’t interested in peace in Ukraine but is instead doing everything it can for the conflict in the country to last as long as possible, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said during a briefing on Friday.

"While the international community is calling for the end to hostilities, the US keeps adding fuel to the fire and shows readiness to fight until the last Ukrainian,” Zhao insisted, referring to the ongoing financial aid and deliveries of weapons from Washington to Kiev.

Russia has launched a probe after graphic video emerged online, purporting to show the torture of prisoners of war at the hands of Ukrainian servicemen.

"The video circulating online shows captured soldiers being shot in the legs without medical assistance,” the country’s Investigative Committee said in a statement on Sunday.

A village in the Russian region of Tuva has gone into lockdown after a local was found to have contracted anthrax, according to the district's acting head. Anthrax is a serious bacterial infection that is often deadly to humans.

The Tuva Republic is almost 4,000 kilometers east of Moscow, and is located in Southern Siberia.