The Ukrainian port city has been subjected to brutal Russian bombardment for more than three weeks, reducing it to near-rubble. Fearful citizens have taken refuge in their basements, where they are desperately short of food, water, and medicine. According to a senior official from the Ukrainian President’s Office, over 2,500 city residents have been killed during the current siege.

Thousands of citizens, according to reports in recent weeks, have been deported to Russia against their will.

A refugee from the port city has now confirmed that people were forced to flee to Russia.

“All of us were taken forcibly,” the refugee, who is now in Russia, told the BBC.

Deporting civilians to a warring party’s territory is an internationally recognised violation of human rights.

“International humanitarian law requires that people be allowed to leave, but not forced to leave,” said Matt Morris, a spokesperson for the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).

Some Ukrainian officials have referred to Russia’s actions as “deportations” to “filtration” camps, recalling Moscow’s war in Chechnya.

Thousands of people were detained and interrogated in makeshift camps during the Chechen war. Many of those detained have since vanished.

According to Mariupol’s city council, approximately 140,000 people have been evacuated from the besieged city, but approximately 170,000 remain trapped.

Few people have fled the city through the humanitarian corridors agreed upon by both sides.

According to Kyiv, this is due to Russian forces continuing to shell the corridors in violation of their agreement to allow people to leave safely.

According to Ukraine’s Defense Ministry, Ukrainians are being sent to remote and economically depressed areas of Russia.

The Ministry stated on Facebook, “After passing through the filtration camps, Ukrainians are sent to economically depressed areas of the Russian Federation.”

“A number of northern regions, most notably Sakhalin, are mentioned as potential final destinations.”

“Through employment centres, Ukrainians are ‘offered’ official employment.”

“Those who agree are issued documents prohibiting them from leaving Russian regions for two years.”

It comes as anger in Ukraine grows toward the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) over alleged plans to open an office in Rostov-on-Don, Russia.

According to critics, such a move would legitimise Russia’s deportation of Ukrainians.

Nina Kuriata, a Ukrainian journalist, has started a petition and is asking people to sign it.

She penned: “Let us all sign a petition to the President of the International Committee of the Red Cross.

“He recently shook hands with Lavrov and promised to establish centres for Ukrainian refugees in Rostov-on-Don. It was all over the news.