Ukraine's Zelenskiy urges U.N. action on deportations

FILE PHOTO: A view shows a fenced theatre building destroyed in the course of Russia-Ukraine conflict in Mariupol, Russian-controlled Ukraine, December 24, 2022. REUTERS/Pavel Klimov TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY

(Reuters) - President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has urged a senior U.N. official to help find a way to resolve what Ukrainian authorities decry as a serious consequence of 11 months of war - the deportation to Russia of thousands of adults and children.

Ukraine has for months denounced reports of mass deportations to Russia, often to remote regions thousands of kilometres from Ukraine. Russia denies any suggestion of mistreatment or criminal intent, describing the mass movements as evacuations.