The images taken by the Planet satellites showed the appearance of many new graves in the cemetery of Mariupol. This is stated in a report published by the British Center for Information Resilience (CIR).
According to the estimates of researchers from CIR, between May 12 and June 29, at least 1,400 new graves appeared at the Starokrymske cemetery in Mariupol. Since during this period there were no active hostilities in the city (more precisely, what was left of it after the Russian shelling), most likely we are talking about burials of the bodies of civilians extracted from the ruins.
Benjamin Strick, Director of Investigations at CIR, commented on the new satellite images:
“Our report illustrates the continuing, extreme pressure on civilian life in Ukraine, especially in occupied areas. Makeshift burials and the growing number of graves around Ukraine, particularly in and around occupied areas, is a stark illustration of the civilian death toll following the Russian invasion”.
Previous satellite images showed that between the end of February and the beginning of May, 1,700 graves appeared at the Starokrymske cemetery. The rate of appearance of new graves was five times higher than the pre-war period.
Unfortunately, apparently, this is just the tip of the iceberg. According to estimates, at least 22 thousand civilians were killed during the occupation of Mariupol. Satellite photos taken in late April – early May showed the appearance of mass graves in which, according to various estimates, from 3 to 9 thousand Mariupol residents were buried. The CIR report also mentions a cemetery in the village of Pionerske, in which the appearance of trenches at burial sites coincided with the newly formed Russian military positions.
According to https://www.theguardian.com
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