Russian occupiers are stepping up filtration measures in the blocked city of Mariupol (Donetsk region), not letting men in or out, and are also carrying out a census of Ukrainian real estate, Verkhovna Rada Commissioner for Human Rights Liudmyla Denisova has said.

"In order to enter the city, you need not only to have a paper on 'filtration,' but also Mariupol registration or evidence that you are going to relatives of the first line, parents or children. The occupiers do not let men in or out. The easiest way to enter the city is through the village of Vynohradne. Long queues formed there due to increased checks," Denisova said on her Facebook.

In addition, according to the ombudswoman, the Russian occupiers also introduced additional checkpoints in the city itself. Thus, almost all the men were taken to the "filtration camp in the village of Bezimenne. Even after passing through the filtration, they have not been allowed to go home for more than a week."

"In Mariupol, the invaders, through the heads of condominiums, collect information about the surviving apartments in order to inventory them and collect data on the whereabouts of the owners," Denisova said.

The ombudswoman called the actions of the aggressor country in Mariupol an act of genocide against the Ukrainian people. She also said that by restricting the freedom of movement of citizens, the occupying country violates the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights of 1966, Article 12 of which ensures everyone the right to free movement.

"I appeal to the UN Commission to Investigate Human Rights Violations during the Russian military invasion of Ukraine to take into account these facts of Russian war crimes and human rights violations in Ukraine," Denisova said.