The suspected mass graves of satellite imagery could contain the bodies of up to 9,000 people. The village of Manhuš is located about 20 km from the town of Mariupol.
22.4. 11:48 • Updated April 24. 16:55
As many as 9,000 civilians may be buried in a mass grave in the village of Manhuš near the city of Mariupol, says the mayor of Mariupol Vadym Bochenko published in the Telegram in their message (you switch to another service).
– The biggest war crime of the 21st century has been committed in Mariupol, Bochenko said.
Bochenko compared the city’s events to the massacre of Babi Jar during World War II in the fall of 1941, when nearly 34,000 Ukrainian Jews were murdered by Nazis occupying Ukraine in two days.
The massacre was one of the worst in World War II and became one of the symbols of the fate of the Jews of Eastern Europe.
– Putin has already killed tens of thousands of civilians in Mariupol. This requires a strong reaction from the entire civilized world. We must stop the genocide by any means, Bochenko said.
The Russians collected the bodies from the streets of Mariupol on Thursday and loaded them into cars. It is unclear where the bodies were transported.
U.S. satellite company Maxar released satellite images on Thursday showing line-up formations in the village of Manhuš. According to the company, the lines have appeared in the country since mid-March.
Vadym Bochenko sees the images as evidence that the Russians are burying the bodies with the aim of hiding the real number of victims.
Bochenko’s claims or satellite imagery have not been independently confirmed.
“Planning to destroy the city”
According to the mayor, the president of Russia Vladimir Putin is the only one who can decide the fate of the 100,000 civilians still trapped in Mariupol.
– All the deaths that will take place from now on are also in his hands, Bochenko told Reuters on Thursday.
The mayor estimates that the Russian attack has destroyed 90 percent of the city.
– There were no plans to liberate the city. The plan was to destroy it, Bochenko said.
According to the US State Department, Ukrainian forces have maintained their positions in Mariupol. At a Foreign Ministry news conference on Thursday, it was said that Putin’s previous allegation of taking over the city was untrue.
Moscow has repeatedly denied allegations by Ukraine and its Western allies that Russian troops and top Kremlin politicians are responsible for the massacres of civilians.
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