Mass graves near Mariupol are evidence of war crimes, say Ukrainian officials

mass-graves

Image: A satellite image by Maxar said to show four sections of linear rows of graves near Mariupol Credit: MAXAR

Ukrainian officials say they have identified mass graves outside the city of Mariupol, which they claim adds to mounting proof of Russian war crimes against Ukrainian civilians.

Ukrainian officials say they have identified mass graves outside the city of Mariupol, which they claim adds to mounting proof of Russian war crimes against Ukrainian civilians.

The mass graves claim is supported by photos from US satellite imagery company Maxar Technologies, CNN reports on Friday, April 22.

Maxar said its images showed an expansion of graves that began at the end of March.

The images appear to show more than 200 new graves at a site on the north-western edge of Manhush, a town some 19 kilometers to the west of Mariupol.

Petro Andriushchenko, an adviser to the mayor of Mariupol, said Russian trucks had collected bodies from the port city, before “dumping them” in Manhush.

“This is direct evidence of war crimes and attempts to cover them up,” Andriushchenko said in a Telegram post.

The council said its own aerial image of the site showed an area “already twice as large as the nearby cemetery”.

The city’s mayor Vadym Boichenko says tens of thousands of civilians may have been killed in Mariupol, which has been under attack since almost the start of the war.

A few thousand Ukrainian fighters remain in the strategically-placed city.

It is believed that the Ukrainian fighters are outnumbered six to one.

They command a four-square mile sprawling steel plant laced with tunnels.


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Written by

Fergal MacErlean

Originally from Dublin, Fergal is based on the eastern Costa del Sol and is a web reporter for The Euro Weekly News covering international and Spanish national news. Got a news story you want to share? Then get in touch at editorial@euroweeklynews.com.

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