Massacre in Bucha
Newspaper: Satellite images refute Russian representation
This satellite image provided by Maxar Technologies shows an overview of destroyed houses and vehicles on a street in Bucha. Photo: Uncredited/Maxar Technologies/AP/dpa
© dpa-infocom GmbH
The atrocities in Bucha continue to cause horror around the world. Moscow speaks of a staging and denies responsibility. Satellite images could bring clarity.
According to the New York Times, videos and satellite images from the Kiev suburb of Bucha are intended to refute Moscow’s claims that the bodies of killed civilians were only placed there after the Russian military had withdrawn.
Satellite images showed that the remains of several people were already on the street in mid-March, the newspaper wrote on Tuesday night. One of the pictures, dated March 19, showed seven figures. The analysis of other recordings showed that the bodies were not moved later.
The cause of death of the people was not clear from this, it said. Videos showed three of the people lying next to bicycles. Some had their hands tied together. The atrocities that became known over the weekend after the withdrawal of Russian troops caused international outrage.
Ukraine blames the Russian military, which until recently occupied the city, for the massacre. Moscow denies that. The Russian Defense Ministry claimed on Sunday that it was a staging. The Russian troops left Bucha on March 30, but the bodies looked as if the people had only died afterwards, the ministry wrote on the Telegram chat service, referring to the lack of rigor mortis. An expert who had worked on investigating war crimes in Kosovo and Rwanda, among other places, told the British broadcaster BBC that rigor mortis usually subsided after four days.