Ukraine's Bucha Mass Graves Seen From Space: Horrifying Masssacred Bodies Found Near Church

On Thursday, the latest satellite photos show a partially excavated mass grave outside a church in Bucha, Ukraine.

According to Business Insider, Maxar Technologies obtained the photos on March 31. The images show a 45-foot-long trench southwest of the Church of St. Andrew and Pyervozvannoho All Saints, where officials are removing the corpses of Ukrainian people.

The exact number of remains retrieved from this graveyard is unknown. Still, according to the Moscow Times, 57 persons were buried there.

Satellite Photos Show Mass Grave Outside Church in Ukraine

The first evidence of excavation for a mass burial was detected on Mar. 10 near the Church of St. Andrew and Pyervozvannoho All Saints, according to Maxar Technologies, which gathers and releases satellite images of Ukraine.

"More recent coverage on Mar. 31 shows the gravesite with an approximately 45-foot-long trench in the southwestern section of the area near the church," Maxar said per Reuters.

ALSO READ: Satellite Image Shows Ukrainians in Long Queue Waiting for Food and Supplies Amid Continuous Russia Invasion

According to CNN, local villagers and the Kyiv Regional Police estimate that at least 150 individuals were buried in the improvised tomb. Bucha is not far from the Ukrainian capital. Bucha's mayor indicated the number might be twice as high. But reports cautioned that neither figure could be independently verified.

The same CNN report also pointed out that residents in Bucha claim that excavation of the mass grave began soon after Russia entered Ukraine on Feb. 24. On Mar. 10, a second recently published WorldView-3 photo reveals some preliminary excavating activity in the churchyard.

(Photo : ARIS MESSINIS/AFP via Getty Images)
TOPSHOT - This general view shows destroyed Russian armored vehicles in the city of Bucha, west of Kyiv, on March 4, 2022. - The UN Human Rights Council on March 4, 2022, overwhelmingly voted to create a top-level investigation into violations committed following Russia's invasion of Ukraine. More than 1.2 million people have fled Ukraine into neighbouring countries since Russia launched its full-scale invasion on February 24, United Nations figures showed on March 4, 2022.

As Russian soldiers withdraw from the region, the size and breadth of the damage in Bucha, Kyiv, and other towns and cities in northern Ukraine are just now becoming clear. The New York Times reported that Ukrainians returning to Bucha are "discovering scores of dead in yards and on the roadways amid rising evidence of purposeful and indiscriminate executions of civilians" by Russian forces.

Roberta Metsola, the president of the European Parliament, said on Twitter: "Appalled by atrocities of Russian army in #Bucha & other liberated areas. This is cold reality of Putin's war crimes. World must be aware of what is happening. Tougher sanctions must be imposed. Perpetrators & their commanders must be brought to justice."

Number of People Officially Buried in Mass Graves

According to AFP News Agency, Mayor Anatoly Fedoruk said officials in Bucha had already buried almost 300 individuals in mass graves despite indications that Russian soldiers are retreating from the town. The streets, reports added, are "littered with bodies."

When the invasion began on Feb. 24, Bucha, a city of around 28,000 people, became a battleground. The Kyiv Independent said the suburb of Kyiv was under Russian military control for weeks. After the town was retaken from departing Russian soldiers, the bodies of hundreds of slain Ukrainian residents were discovered.

RELATED ARTICLE: Satellite Photos Show Ukrainian Forces Destroying Russian Landing Ship After Suffering Major Infrastructure Damage

Check out more news and information on Space in Science Times.