Satellite photographs purport to reveal mass graves in the village of Bucha, where a terrible slaughter of people allegedly happened last month, offering a crucial peek into the atrocities of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The satellite photographs from Maxar Technology also serve to disprove Russian claims that the horrible tragedy was “manufactured.” Increasing evidence suggests that fleeing Russian forces massacred hundreds of residents in Bucha, a suburb of Kyiv, leaving their dead scattered throughout the war-torn streets. “They shot everyone they saw,” one survivor told New York Times reporters.
“We estimate about 300 citizens were killed,” Vitaly Klitschko, a former heavyweight champion boxer and the mayor of Kyiv, told AFP on Sunday, April 3. “This is not a war; it is a genocide, a genocide against the people of Ukraine.” The massacre happened in March 2022, but evidence of it didn’t surface until early April, after Russian forces withdrew from the city and Ukrainian forces moved in.
Surprisingly, a Maxar satellite picture from March 31 appears to reveal a mass burial on the grounds of the Church of St. Andrew and Pyervozvannoho All Saints in Bucha, with a 14-meter (45-foot) long trench. Previous photographs of the site, which are of lower quality, reveal that excavations of the cemetery began as early as March 10. The Russian Ministry of Defense has denied culpability for the civilian deaths in Bucha, with some even suggesting that many of the photographs and videos of the devastation were “manufactured” after the Russian army departed the town with “fake dead corpses.” The satellite photos from Maxar Technology, on the other hand, assist to contradict this misleading assertion.
Bodies may be seen sprawled on the streets in a photo shot on March 19, when Russian soldiers still seized the town. According to a New York Times investigation, the remains were still lying in the identical spots in video footage taken on April 1 by a local council member. Maxar satellite pictures obtained on March 21 and an Instagram video released on April 2 show similar similarities. Many aspects of the Bucha events are still developing, and there are still many unknowns. This event, however, has clearly enraged authorities in North America and Europe. The latest incidents in Bucha have even been highlighted by the US as fresh proof that Russia is committing war crimes in Ukraine.
“You may recall that I was chastised for referring to Putin as a war criminal. Well, the reality is that you witnessed what occurred in Bucha. On April 4, US President Joe Biden stated, “This merits him – he is a war criminal.” “We need to gather the information, continue to assist Ukraine with the weaponry it needs to fight, and obtain all the details so this can be actual — have a wartime trial [sic],” he said. “He’s a ruthless individual.” And what’s going on in Bucha is unconscionable,” Biden concluded.
