Mayor told the Ukrainian television on Tuesday that three mass graves have been found near Mariupol.

Mass graves were uncovered in the villages of Mangush and Vynohradne.

Vadym Boichenko said that they see there is another one.

Excavated trenches on the grounds of the Old Crimean cemetery were seen in the photographs.

“New trenches were recorded on April 24. The length of the mass grave has increased to more than 200 meters,” the council said.

Boichenko claimed that Russian forces forced the local community to participate in mass burials in exchange for food.

“They [the locals] told us that you have to work ‘hours’ to have food and water. Now there is not enough humanitarian aid in Mariupol so people are forced to do it,” he said.

Once the situation became transparent after the publication of satellite images, Ukrainian officials identified the location of mass graves at Manhush.

Petro Andriushchenko, an advisor to the mayor Mariupol, posted, “As a result of a long search and identification of places of mass burial of dead Mariupol residents, we established the fact of arrangement and mass burial of the dead Mariupol residents in the village of Manhush.”

Boichenko repeated that 20,000 residents of Mariupol had died since the beginning of the invasion.

“The situation in Mariupol remains extremely difficult,” he said.

“Enemy artillery shells our fortress Azovstal.”

“There are women and children inside. Ceasefire is needed to begin the evacuation. Unfortunately, there is no ceasefire,” he added.

He continued that people were running out of food and drinking water, declaring it a humanitarian catastrophe.