Ukraine crisis: claims Mariupol women and children forcibly sent to Russia

Thousands of resident illegally taken across border, says city council, as China criticises outrageous' western sanctions against Russia

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Authorities in the Ukrainian city of Mariupol have said Russian troops have forcibly deported several thousand residents to Russia, as claims emerged that the besieged city had been wiped off the face of the earth".

Over the past week, several thousand Mariupol residents were deported on to the Russian territory," the city council said in a statement on its Telegram channel late on Saturday.