An analysis of satellite imagery from British public broadcaster BBC revealed the existence of more than 1,500 new graves in a field near Mariupol in southern Ukraine, the broadcaster said on Monday (7).
The cemetery, which, according to local authorities and other witnesses consulted, contains thousands of bodies, is located on a large piece of land to the northwest. of the city, one of the most affected by Russian bombings, as it is considered a strategic point.
After being attacked by land and air since the beginning of the war in February, when it fell into in May, Mariupol was destroyed and thousands of civilians died.
In its program “Panorama”, which will be broadcast tomorrow, BBC will show details of Maxar satellite imagery showing three mass grave sites in Staryi Krym, Manhush and Vynohradne.
The UK Information Resilience Center analyzed data from Staryi Krym and concluded that at least 1,500 new graves had been excavated since the last survey of the area in June, bringing an estimated total of 4,600 since the start of the war, says BBC.
The broadcaster says that, according to Ukrainian authorities, at least 25 1,000 people were killed in the clashes in Mariupol, and that between 5,000 and 7,000 of them died under the rubble of their homes when they were bombed.
The BBC gathers testimonies from Ukrainians who lost loved ones in these circumstances and who were unable to recover their bodies or whose whereabouts are unknown.
Some bodies that appeared on the streets were buried in mass graves in the center of Mariupol by the Ukrainians themselves, while others were removed by the Russians.
