Satellite images show 45-foot-long trench at Ukrainian mass grave site
A satellite image of a site identified as a mass grave in the town of Bucha, Ukraine, northwest of the capital of Kyiv. Image: Maxar Technologies
Newly released satellite images show a 45-foot-long trench in the grounds of a church in Bucha, Ukraine, where a mass grave was found after Russian troops withdrew from the Kyiv region city last week.
Driving the news: A CNN team on Sunday visited the grounds of St. Andrew and Pyervozvannoho All Saints Church, where Maxar Technologies' satellite images were captured, and reported seeing "at least a dozen bodies in body bags piled inside the grave" on the grounds.
- The satellite images reveal "the first signs of excavation" were seen on the grounds of the church on March 10, Maxar Technologies said in an emailed statement.
- Images captured on March 31 show "the grave site with an approximately 45-foot long trench in the southwestern section of the area near the church," the satellite imagery company added, sharing a video posted on social media of a mass grave at the same location.
The big picture: Zelensky spoke out on CBS on Sunday after bodies were photographed strewn in Bucha's streets, saying what's happening in Ukraine is "genocide."
- Bucha Mayor Anatoly Fedoruk tweeted Saturday images of bodies with hands tied behind their backs in the city and told AFP there residents had "buried 280 people in mass graves."
- Russia's government has denied responsibility for the killings, per the New York Times.
Go deeper: Dashboard: Russian invasion of Ukraine
Editor's note: This article has been updated to include the Russian government's denial of the killings.