Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russia’s siege of the port city of Mariupol was “a terror that will be remembered for centuries to come”. His comments came as local authorities said thousands of residents there had been taken by force across the border.

The city council also said Russian forces bombed a Mariupol art school on Saturday in which 400 residents had taken shelter, but the number of casualties was not yet known.

Russia denies targeting civilians.

Zelensky said the siege of Mariupol was a war crime. “To do this to a peaceful city... is a terror that will be remembered for centuries to come,” he said in a late-night broadcast. Still, he said, peace talks with Russia were needed although they were “not easy and pleasant”.

TV channels

Zelensky has signed a decree that combines all national TV channels into one platform, citing the importance of a “unified information policy” under martial law, his office said in a statement on Sunday.

Ukrainian privately owned media channels have hitherto continued to operate since the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24. The decree announcement, made on the presidential website, did not specify how quickly the new measure would come into force.