Kyiv: Satellite images of more than 200 mass graves have been unearthed in the Ukrainian port city of Mariupol, which Russian President Vladimir Putin claims to have captured. The images were released by Maxer Technologies. Ukraine has accused Russian forces of killing more than 9,000 civilians here. Although there are more than 2,000 Ukrainian fighters in the Azovstall steel plant complex in Mariupol, Russia’s strategy is to force them to surrender by suffocation without directly attacking them.
The mass graves were found in Manusseh Cemetery near Mariupol. Mariupol Mayor Vadim Boychenko has accused the Russian military of bringing bodies in trucks and burying them. He likened it to the massacre of 34,000 Jews in Ukraine by the Nazis in 1941 and their burial in Bobby Yar. Russia has not responded. Thousands of survivors are stranded in Mariupol.
Russia’s Central Military District Deputy Commander Rustam Minikayev said Russia’s goal was to capture the southern regions as well as the eastern part of Ukraine. He said that in addition to the Donbass region, the cities of Mikhailov and Odessa would soon be conquered.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said during his visit to India that the British Embassy in Kiev would open next week. A team led by Rafael Grossi, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, will arrive in Ukraine next week to inspect the safety of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant.
Content Highlight: Russia, Ukraine, Ukraine Crisis, Russia-Ukraine War
