A third mass grave has been uncovered near the besieged Ukrainian port city of Mariupol where Russian occupiers forced residents to work on burials, the mayor said.
The massive trench, seen on satellite images, stretches more than 600 feet and contains thousands of civilian bodies, Mayor Vadym Boychenko said Tuesday.
“We know about these mass graves because these fascists — and I have no other words — involve the local population for burial,” Boychenko told Radio Svoboda.
“They told us that you need to work hours [for] food, water . . . People are forced to do so.”
The apparent mass grave is located in the Old Crimean Cemetery, just south of the town of Staryi Krym on the outskirts of Mariupol.
A mass grave containing thousands of bodies has been uncovered near the besieged city of Mariupol. AP/Alexei Alexandrov
Mayor Vadym Boychenko said Ukrainians dug the graves for Russian troops in exchange for food and water. REUTERS/Chingis Kondarov
The massive trench stretches more than 600 feet and can be seen on satellite images. EPAPossible mass graves have also been spotted in satellite imagery of Mariupol suburbs Mangush and Vynohradne, each eerily similar to the burial sites found outside Kyiv this month.
Mariupol authorities estimate that some 20,000 civilians have been killed in the two months since the city has been bombarded and under siege.
Siege at steel plant
The apparent mass grave is located in the Old Crimean Cemetery just south of the town of Staryi Krym on the outskirts of Mariupol. REUTERS/Alexander Ermochenko
Possible mass graves have also been spotted in satellite imagery of the Mariupol suburbs Mangush and Vynohradne. AP/Evgeniy Maloletka
Mariupol authorities estimate that about 20,000 civilians have been killed in two months. REUTERS/Alexander ErmochenkoMeanwhile, Russian forces continue to shell the Azovstal steel plant, where about 2,000 of the city’s last remaining defenders and 1,000 civilians have taken shelter.
Russia said it had carried out high-precision missile strikes against 32 Ukrainian military targets including four ammunition depots on Tuesday. It also launched airstrikes against 33 targets and 100 artillery and rocket strikes.
“Russia has drastically intensified strikes over the past 24 hours and is using heavy bunker bombs,” said Petro Andryushchenko, an adviser to Boychenko. “The number of those wounded will be clear once the rubble is cleared.”
Russian forces continued to shell the area’s Azovstal steel plant, where about 2,000 of the city’s last remaining defenders and 1,000 civilians have taken shelter. REUTERS/Chingis Kondarov
People walk near a destroyed tank and damaged buildings in Mariupol. REUTERS/Alexander Ermochenko
Petro Andryushchenko said “Russia has drastically intensified strikes over the past 24 hours and is using heavy bunker bombs.” REUTERS/Alexander ErmochenkoRussian President Vladimir Putin agreed “in principle” to United Nations and Red Cross involvement in the evacuation of civilians from Azovstal Tuesday during a meeting in Moscow with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.
The Russian leader also claimed the civilians were being held in the plant against their will by Ukrainian forces using them as human shields.
With Post Wires
