Bucha 'Massacre': Satellite Images Show 45-Foot-Long Trench At Ukraine Mass Grave Site

On Sunday, Ukraine accused Russian forces of carrying out a 'massacre' in Bucha town. Russia denied this, calling images released by Ukraine a 'provocation'.

This handout satellite image released by Maxar Technologies on April 3, 2022 shows a closer view of a probable grave site (upper C) near the Church of Saint Andrew and Pyervozvannoho All Saints in Bucha, Ukraine, on March 31, 2022 | Photo: AFP

New Delhi: Satellite images released by private US company Maxar Technologies show a 45-foot-long trench dug into the grounds of a church in Ukraine where a mass grave was found this week, after Russian forces withdrew from the Bucha town, 37 km northwest of capital Kyiv.

News agency Reuters reported that its journalists who visited Bucha Saturday saw bodies lying on the streets. According to the report, a mass grave at a church was still open, with parts of bodies protruding through the red clay covering them up.

Bucha is one of the many towns that Ukrainian troops have recaptured from Russian troops as they focus more on battles in eastern Ukraine.

On Sunday, Ukraine accused Russian forces of carrying out a "massacre" in Bucha. Russia's defence ministry, however, denied the allegations, and said  images showing bodies in Bucha were "yet another provocation" by Ukraine.

First Signs Of Digging Seen On March 10: Maxar 

Maxar Technologies, which has been collecting and publishing satellite imagery of Ukraine, meanwhile said the first signs of digging for a mass grave at the St. Andrew and Pyervozvannoho All Saints Church were seen on March 10.

"More recent coverage on March 31st shows the grave site with an approximately 45-foot-long trench in the southwestern section of the area near the church," the Reuters report quoted Maxar as saying.

The agency said it could not immediately verify the images, adding that it was not clear if the images disseminated by Maxar were of the same church that its journalists visited on Saturday.