Vladimir Putin has been accused of “abducting and deporting” civilians from Mariupol and transporting them into Russia.

Ukrainian authorities have said thousands of Russians had been rounded up and sent to remote Russian cities where they were told they must live and work for two years. The abductions have been compared by Vadym Boichenko, Mariupol’s mayor to “the horrific events of World War II, when the Nazis forcibly captured people”.

He said: “It is hard to imagine that in the 21st century, people can be forcibly taken to another country.”

Foreign Secretary Liz Truss has said she is appalled by the atrocities in Mariupol. Writing on Twitter, she said: “I am appalled by Russian atrocities in Mariupol, including attacks on schools sheltering civilians and the abduction and deportation of Ukrainians.”Putin is resorting to desperate measures as he is not achieving his objectives. Putin and his regime will be held to account.”