Boutcha: American satellite images contradict the Russian version
Satellite images released by US company Maxar Technologies on Monday contradict Russian claims that the bodies of people in civilian clothes found in the Ukrainian town of Bucha were placed there after Russian troops evacuated the area.
Accusations of war crimes and crimes against humanity (indiscriminate bombing of Ukrainian cities, kidnapping of civilians, rape, torture, murder, etc.), whether from the Ukrainian authorities, the media or NGOs, have multiplied since the beginning of the invasion of Ukraine, on February 24, by the Russians, who have since been confronted with the resistance of the forces of kyiv and deny the abuses. In Maxar footage dating back to mid-March, several bodies of civilians can be seen lying dead in a Boutcha street or on the sidewalk.
The Ukrainian army recaptured this town located northwest of kyiv a few days ago from the Russians. The Ukrainian authorities claimed, over the weekend, to have found many bodies in Boutcha after the withdrawal of enemy troops. Those « high resolution images (…) corroborate recent videos and photos on social media revealing the presence of bodies lying in the streets [de Boutcha] and abandoned for several weeks”Maxar Technologies said in a statement.
In an analysis of close-ups of Yablounska Street provided by Maxxar, the american daily New York Times wrote on Monday, after comparing them with video images of the bodies strewn on this street shot on the 1er and April 2, that many of them had been there for at least three weeks, when Russian forces controlled the town.
On Twitter, a journalist from New York Times posted a video showing these pictures (be careful, some images may offend the sensitivity of some) :