Apr 4, 2022 - World

Satellite images show 45-foot-long trench at Ukrainian mass grave site

Rebecca Falconer

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.

Add Axios on Google

Satellite images show 45-foot-long trench at Ukrainian mass grave site

What to read next